"Acosta has the style of the old Australian school"

Until less than a month ago, the name of Pedro Acosta was unknown to many motorcycling fans. The 16-year-old pilot became known from the first training session in which he participated in the World Cup, leading it. In the race he left his mark with a sensational performance that gave him second place in his debut.

A week later, he left all the spectators in awe after taking his first victory starting from the pitlane . The one from Mazarrón repeated victory last weekend in Portimao. Two out of three.

Acosta won the Red Bull Rookies last year in a landslide. Initially, his jump to the World Championship was planned with the Prustel team, but Raúl Fernández’s move to Moto2 left a free place at Red Bull KTM Ajo.

The owner of the group, Aki Ajo, did not hesitate and took their services. The Finn has one of the most successful teams in Moto3 and has worked in the past with several figures who are triumphing in MotoGP today, such as Marc Márquez . The man from Mazarron is exceeding all expectations.

“We are very impressed by the performance of our lovely rookie ,” Aki Ajo told Motorsport.com in an interview. “We have already seen the last two years his progression in the FIM CEV and we have followed him very closely”.

“When we had the opportunity, that we were finalizing our structure for this year, there was finally a small chance to have Pedro in our team and it was easy to make the decision to have him as our driver. But in any case we did not expect such a start, being leading the championship with a lot of points after the first three races.

“On the other hand, you already know my style, so I have to remind people to keep their feet on the ground and focus on the work and the work style that we have.”

Aki Garlic and Pedro Acosta

Acosta will turn 17 on May 25 and is growing as a pilot. Ajo affirms that the Spaniard has an interesting style different from that of the new generation.

“It is always very difficult to compare drivers. There are many talented drivers in this championship and almost all of them have their style and their way of acting. What I like about Pedro is that he has this old school style, which perhaps reminds me a little Australian drivers Jack Miller and Remy Gardner . This is no longer normal for the young generation. But if you use it right, it can be a very strong part of you to bring some of the old ways into your work style.”

The Red Bull KTM rider is being the revolution of the season and MotoGP already has an eye on him. However, he keeps his feet on the ground.

“It’s not easy for a young driver when everyone starts talking about you. But this is a test. This is a test, and not only that, but part of the learning process. I don’t expect everything to always be perfect, because where we learn is from the mistakes and the [hard] moments,” adds Ajo.

“I don’t think Pedro will be the first to get upset. He’s a very cheerful guy with a good attitude, and from what I see how he behaved after his first win the following week, he didn’t look, Instagram, or the news. . He even changed the SIM card on his phone. So I think he was pretty well prepared for that [increased attention].”

All Australian 500cc/MotoGP titles

1987 – Wayne Gardner, Honda