Pedro Acosta's performance secrets revealed

Pedro Acosta rose rapidly because he freed his mind to weave harmony with a complicated and wild MotoGP motorbike.

AFP/JAVIER SORIANO

Gasgas Tech3 racer, Pedro Acosta, celebrated his success in achieving second place in the MotoGP sprint race series in Spain at Jerez on April 27, 2024. Acosta surprised many with his performance in his first season in MotoGP.

MURCIA, WEDNESDAY – Pedro Acosta has grown curious to the point that his performance is always awaited every MotoGP race weekend. The increase in performance accelerated so quickly that it was able to disrupt top competition. The secret to Acosta's performance lies in his ability to free his mind to become one with a complex MotoGP bike with many electronic settings.

Acosta has repeatedly said that he will just enjoy the excitement of racing the KTM RC16 motorbike this season. He freed himself from pressure to immediately have a solid performance. However, since he first raced a MotoGP motorbike in the final test of the 2023 season in Valencia, the racer nicknamed "The Shark from Mazarron" has created harmony between his natural talent and the wild KTM RC16 iron horse.

Acosta's joy was reflected in his wide smile after completing the first round at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit, at the end of last year. "Wow, this motorbike is very fast," Acosta said to his team personnel.

Acosta’s wide smile when experiencing the MotoGP motorbike sensation was like that of a child who got the toy he really wanted. His facial expression did not reflect fear, but the excitement of welcoming a new adventure.

Also read: Pedro Acosta's performance is beyond Valentino Rossi's expectations

The 19 year old racer continued the adaptation process in pre-season tests in Malaysia and Qatar. He also surprised Red Bull team personnel Gasgas Tech3 with the speed of adaptation to the motorbike, especially how to use electronic devices.

However, the electronic components in MotoGP motorcycles are very complicated and usually require a long time to understand. In addition, since the test in Sepang, he has only changed the handlebar position, front brake lever, clutch lever, and rear brake lever. The rest is the basic setting of the KTM RC16.

AP PHOTO/ERIC GAY

Gasgas Tech3 racer, Pedro Acosta (in front), accelerates his motorcycle ahead of other racers in the MotoGP series in the United States at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), Austin, Texas, on Monday (15/4/2024) early morning Western Indonesian Time. Vinales emerged as the winner and Acosta came in second place.

Acosta then achieved his first podium in MotoGP in the second race of the series at Portimao, finishing third in the main race. He then finished on the second podium in the main race of the Americas series as well as second in the sprint at Jerez.

Acosta's achievements and performance have surprised the entire Gasgas Tech3 garage. Even head of the crew, Paul Trevathan, believes that Acosta's limit is the sky.

”The first impression was like, wow! In the garage we all looked at each other and said, 'What happened!'," Trevathan told MotoGP. "The body position, the way he uses everything, looks like he's been riding a motorbike for six months."

Also read: New Record Awaits Pedro Acosta in Jerez

"He was very interested in all the technical components, much larger than what you usually encounter. His first touch was like that and not afraid, and understanding all those elements very quickly was truly amazing," explained Trevathan.

However, Acosta is also a demanding racer, especially concerning what he wants on his motorcycle. He often checks whether everything has been done because it is crucial to his riding style, which involves frequent shifting of body positions.

"I can say that he is a bit particular about where we place everything because he moves around a lot. He uses his body in various ways. For him, it is very important for all controls to be in the right position so that he can feel everything is natural," said Trevathan.

AFP/PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA

Gasgas Tech3 racer who secured third place, Pedro Acosta, raises his hand on the podium after the MotoGP Grand Prix Portugal race at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimao, Portugal, on Sunday (24/3/2024).

"It's not difficult to position oneself on a motorcycle, but the fact is, it provides the freedom to do anything one wants. That's the area where we need to concentrate. I don't think we're developing a certain driving style because every time one rides a motorcycle, they do something better. I haven't seen the limit," continued Trevathan.

Regarding his driving style, Acosta also believes that he has not fully integrated with the motorcycle, so he still needs to find the right connection.

"Firstly, we need to improve my driving style before we can start thinking about getting a motorcycle. Because, in my opinion, we have not reached 100 percent, or we have not fully utilized my abilities," said Acosta.

Also read: Pedro Acosta Becomes Number One Asset

Trevathan also assessed that Acosta is still developing, even though he is already very skilled in controlling the motorbike, including determining the braking point very close to the entrance of the turn. That is a strong foundation to be more solid.

"To be honest, due to the rapid development and significant increase, we still haven't truly touched on the motor. Initially, we looked at where other racers were in Valencia, and we took the middle ground," said Trevathan.

"I then said, 'Okay, this is a good starting point and we'll start from there.' Then we maintained the basic setting of the motor to be in a neutral balance. In my opinion, we can find a solid basic setting and he can learn the motor with high confidence and understand its limits," added Trevathan.

AFP/PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA

Gasgas Tech3 racer, Pedro Acosta, crossed the finish line in third place in the main race of the Portugal MotoGP Grand Prix series at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimao on Sunday (24/3/2024).

What Acosta did resulted in unique data and serves as a lesson for engineers and mechanics to develop or tune up motors. It opens up new perspectives to make motors more competitive.

"Data is more of a lesson for us than for him. But we use data from all the racers who use this motor to find out why this racer is faster here. There is no specific thing that we learn from the data. Because when he gets back on the bike, he does something different," explained Trevathan.

Gasgas Tech3's head data analyst, Alessio Capuano, also emphasized that what Acosta did was very different from other racers.

"What we see from the data is pure performance that is different from the others. That is something amazing. He follows all the instructions we can give him, which is very clear in the data. It can be said that that is the secret," said Capuano.

Also read: Pedro Acosta Tempers Huge Expectations

"Since the winter test, he already knew how to interact with electronics which is the hardest thing when riding a MotoGP motorcycle because it is very different from any other motorcycle you can ride in this world," said Capuano.

Acosta's ability to adapt quickly to MotoGP bikes, according to Trevathan, is not just due to his great talent. Acosta is also able to free his mind to follow the bike's desires. He tries to feel the bike's character and then adjusts himself in harmony. This is something not all riders possess.

AP PHOTO/JOSE BRETON

Ducati Pramac racer Jorge Martin (center) poses on the podium with Ducati Lenovo racer Enea Bastianini (left) in second place and GasGas Tech3 racer Pedro Acosta in third place at the MotoGP Grand Prix of Portugal at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimao, Portugal on Sunday (24/3/2024).

"Believe me, they are all fantastic racers. This is not someone who cannot ride a motorcycle being on top of a motorcycle. But, then being able to free the mind to use all the elements, to always get the best out of the motorcycle, that's a little magical. That's something I can say Pedro has," said Trevathan.

According to him, all racers also do what Acosta did. However, their racers know what is needed to be in line with the character of the motorcycle they are riding.

"Please don't misunderstand me, other racers can also brake where Pedro brakes. However, to be able to synchronize lap times with the situation at hand, knowing when to do this and when to do that, those elements clearly indicate that there is something different," continued Trevathan.

"Working with him or witnessing what he can achieve, in my opinion, is a universal mystery. We may have a racer like him perhaps once every 10 or 15 years who brings the level of competition back to the beginning. Trust me, the way this child works and the effort he puts in, the sky is the limit," concludes Trevathan.

Acosta's performance will again be in the spotlight in the French MotoGP series at the Le Mans Circuit, 10-12 May.