Moto3, Acosta: “Before my mentality was either glory or the hospital”

Pedro Acosta turned 17 on 25 May and is leading the Moto3 championship in his debut season. And with a good lead too, the Spaniard currently 39 points ahead of second-placed Sergio Garcia. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider will now face his eighth race of the season, in Germany, and after missing out on the podium at the last three events, he’s keen to be back up front.

Not thinking about the championship

To date, he’s scored three wins and a second place and, as the Spaniard tells website motogp.com: “If there are a lot of cameras on you it’s because you’re doing a good job. During any year there will be moments where you feel more pressure, but you always feel some. I prefer to take it race by race, because if I start to think about the championship I might start making mistakes that I don’t normally make”.

But he’s already found fame and he admits it: “I’m a fun guy and I don’t like having problems with anyone. I’m more laid back than I was last year. When I go home, to Mazarrón, I am still a normal guy, but when I go to Murcia to try or go shopping, everyone recognises me and wants to talk to me”.

 The Red Bull Rookies Cup through his eyes

Before coming to the world championship he won the Red Bull Rookies Cup and comments: “During my first Rookies Cup year I had nothing to lose, and everything to gain. I learned to keep calm, to think more when riding and to understand that second across the line was not a disaster. Because my mentality up until then had been “glory or the hospital” and I’ve learned that going to hospital is not the best path”.

Comparing the Rookies and the world championship, he admits: “Here it’s a little easier, there are more sessions and more people working in the garage and I can find my ideal setting”.

Ready for Moto2?

His arrival in Moto3 has brought new advice, which he’s following to the letter: “The first thing the team told me was to have fun, focus on what I wanted to improve and keep calm. Aki (the team principal) is a cold person, he always says racing is easy if you tackle it calmly”.

There are rumours that people already want him in Moto2 next year and Acosta has this to say: “We’ll see what happens. I’d like to move to Moto2 because I prefer the bigger bikes and maybe they’re better suited to my riding style. If I move to Moto2 it will be a big step, otherwise I’ll continue to learn in Moto3”. And so he expresses his wish.

Translated by Heather Watson

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