Pedro Acosta Showered With Praise After Rookie MotoGP Season - 'Really Unique In This World'

Saajan Jogia | 23 Hours Ago

Apr 12, 2024; Austin, TX, USA; Pedro Acosta (31) of Spain and Red Bull Tech3 GASGAS during practice for the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas at Circuit of The Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Pedro Acosta has earned high praise from his KTM crew chief Paul Trevathan, who revealed several reasons why the 20-year-old stands out as "really unique" among KTM riders. Despite 2024 marking his rookie season in the premier class, Acosta’s exceptional talent has already made a significant impression. His remarkable debut season, featuring nine podium finishes, secured him a seat in KTM’s factory team alongside Brad Binder for 2025.

Trevathan pointed out that the motorcyclist in Acosta makes him highly adaptable on the bike across various setups and situations and his ability to remain calm in the garage is something that has stood out for the crew chief. He also pointed out how he and the Spaniard go about their problem-solving approaches in their own ways but have each others' backs when there's trouble. When asked how Acosta compares to other riders, he told Crash.net:

“For example, other guys could get on his bike, exact same set-up, but they couldn’t do what he does on it.

“And then he could probably get on their bike and easily do the same, because he’s so adaptable.”

He continued:

“He does a lot of riding, which is something I appreciate because he doesn’t see himself as an athlete - he sees himself as a motorcycle rider.

“So, he doesn’t want to run a marathon, he doesn’t want to be a professional cyclist. He wants to ride motorcycles. So, his training and his understanding is about how to be fast on a motorcycle.

“And then he puts himself through so many different disciplines when he’s riding that he’s always adapting. And then this adaptation comes to the race track, where the bike doesn’t have to be perfect.

“He doesn’t think the bike will ever be perfect. So, he’s always able to put something on top of it.

“And this part is fantastic. And as a technician, to have this in the pocket, where you’ve just got to be 90% and he’ll grab that extra 10% out of it.

“So, in the end, you just make sure you don’t fuck up. And then he can take care of the rest. But maybe for development or stuff like that you can get a bit stuck because, for example, what happened with Honda and Marc [Marquez], where somebody has the ability to take it to another place that nobody else can.

“And then you lose that ability and then all of a sudden the bike looks kind of normal. So, this is tough on the company to really understand."

Trevathan further emphasized Acosta's remarkable composure, describing it as a testament to his professionalism. He added:

“But this part of him is something that is really, really unique in this world at the moment. Also, his calmness in the box, he’s never once revved.

“I’m sure his in-laps have been some swearing and cursing going on, because he’s quite an open character, but when it comes to the professionalism inside the box he’s outstanding.

“And he’s never pointing the finger at anything. There’s the story that we never change the bike a lot, and it’s true. But the fact was that many times I’ve said ‘look mate, I’m here’.

“And he said ‘yeah, but when I need you I’ll ask. But let me first do what I can’. And this is the learning curve that us as a company, and even me as a technician, to understand that if I change something between a session and then he puts half a second on top of it, then is it the bike or is it me?

“So, in the end you’re just counteracting each other. So, it’s better to say ‘ok, do your thing and then when you’re in the shit, come and let me know’.

“And we’re working in this way and it’s really, really nice.”