MotoGP
Learn all about the ambitions and motivations of Pedro Acosta as we catch up with the up-and-coming Moto2™ rider over the course of his home race in Jerez, Spain.
“They see me at the grandstand today, tomorrow they tell their children they were there… and the children maybe start thinking about one day going to the races," says Pedro Acosta as he loads slices of cheese and tomato into a bread roll during a quiet post-race moment in his team's truck. "They are the people that will make the motorcycle world bigger. When Rossi retired, we felt the drop, so now we have to try.”
Reflecting on his exhilarating second place in the Moto2™ Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez, these are perhaps not the words of wisdom you would expect from such a young rider. But Acosta gets it. He has that self-belief to become a superstar, the next in a long line of greats in MotoGP™. He feels he has it so we spent a race weekend with him to try to find out exactly how he plans to reach the pinnacle.
Destined for greatness
He’s 18 years old, already a World Champion in MotoGP’s lightweight Moto3™ class and is leading the Moto2™ World Championship in only his second season. A seat in MotoGP™ – the top level of motorcycle racing –may well beckon in 2024. While it seems a rapid rise, those in the know have believed Acosta was destined for greatness since his second-ever race at Grand Prix level, when he won from pit lane rather than the actual starting grid.
Despite the hype, Acosta's feet are well and truly nailed to the ground by his natural character and those around him.
A top class work ethic
Acosta grew up with a fisherman for a father, while his mother cooked in his school canteen until they made the decision to take racing more seriously. It’s an unfamiliar story in a sport where few riders from working-class backgrounds make it when hundreds of thousands of euros in sponsorship are required each year to compete at just 14-16 years old.
But that work ethic from his lack of financial privilege is perhaps his biggest strength with respect to his riding capability.
“I don’t think it’s talent because I know riders that don’t train at all, just ride the bikes when they come to races and they go fast. It’s impossible for me to go fast this way," he says. "I think I have some points that I can be faster, or I can do easier than other guys that you can see on TV. I can brake super late so easy from the beginning of the race, I can also go so close, so early I can turn the bike (into the corner) but I think it’s always a progression.”
Honing the obvious talent
His team boss and mentor, Aki Ajo, explains that talent goes way beyond what the rider can do with their right wrist, fingers and body weight, he frames true racing talent in three stages. This begins in childhood when the family and child grow their passion and commitment to the sport together. Then comes the semi-professional stage where riders enter a series such as the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, a step below the World Championship. The talent here lies in the family’s ability to step back and allow professional coaches and mechanics to work with their child.
“The third step," Ajo explains, "is when the athlete is close to being an adult. Then you start to see complete talent, which is not only riding a motorcycle fast, working hard, or having a good eye to ride. The most important thing for me is basic education and attitude. This includes the family and the people around them, those who follow them all the time, who somehow keep them under control."
Acosta agrees. “Aki has a talent for being able to express things that few people can understand or to make jokes to take the pressure off. There’s the talent of my mechanics that can go to have dinner [with me] and spend two hours laughing together. Or Albo [crew chief], who really understands how I express things and that I need to be calm to go fast. It’s not from my talent, but the talent I have around me.”
It’s not only key to have the right people around an athlete either. Both Acosta and Ajo make the point clear that it’s the right people at the right time. Plenty of young athletes have the right people around them. But are they at the right point in their career or vice versa? This is the final key to unlocking complete talent.
Staying grounded
With this comes inevitable success, in Acosta’s case, at a record-breaking pace. The Spaniard is the second youngest lightweight class World Champion, missing out on being the youngest by a day. He did, however, become the youngest-ever intermediate class race winner in 2022, taking that title from eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez. With so much success so quickly, fractures can occur from the stresses that they’re placed under.
“He spoke so directly to me telling me 100 percent the reality. Maybe it was the slap that I needed in this moment," says Acosta, recalling the time he clashed with Ajo in 2021.
"He told 'Keep calm and don’t destroy everything that you’re making,’ It’s so important that someone’s hard on you sometimes.”
But Acosta’s natural inclination is to stay accountable to himself and to keep focused on the task at hand. He drives a van and a Renault Clio, changed SIM cards multiple times after his shock victory in Doha 2021, and despite the temptations of luxury, he opted to stay in his native Murcia rather than move to Andorra like many World Championship riders.
“If I want to be something big in this paddock, I cannot go. Because I’m going to lose the way… I’m a bit in a bunker here," he says. "No one bothers me in the street because everyone knows everyone, I’m invisible, a normal person.”
Shades of Valentino Rossi in Tavullia or Marquez in Cervera. Acosta tries to live a normal life with as little drama as possible away from Grands Prix, in order to be at his best and bring the theatrics to the races.
Growing self-belief
While there has been plenty of success already in his young career, Acosta realises that the very best athletes in the world have that perfect blend of talent and self-belief. It's a mixture that can be seen in UFC stars Conor McGregor and Ilia Topuria, both of whom Acosta loves to watch.
So does Acosta have that same mentality? “Not at the moment but I’m better than last year, more prepared and more focused than last year. I know more when to not be focused, in order to be focused in the right moment," he replies.
Perhaps this clarity is what gives him the freedom in his racing to bring a level of theatre not seen since the Andrea Dovizioso versus Marquez showdown era or before that, Rossi versus his numerous foes.
On the morning of the 2021 Moto3™ title decider, he dominated the pre-race warm-up session. After the chequered flag, he found his key rival, Dennis Foggia, rode alongside him and gave a pantomime villain-esq wave in front of all the cameras. Then there’s the more recent Americas GP in Austin, battling Moto2™ rival Tony Arbolino for victory, stalking him throughout the race before making the killer blow on the very last lap.
In Jerez, Acosta lined up second on the grid and made the dream start to lead his home race. But this was one of those days where Britain’s Sam Lowes had found the zone where his riding was at another level compared to the rest of the field. He beat Acosta by just under three seconds, with the rest of the field seven seconds back from the winner. Later that afternoon in his truck, with the toasted sandwich in hand, Acosta gave a stoic assessment of his performance.
“When you try 100 percent and it’s difficult to win, you can’t be angry with yourself. He was faster than everyone today," says Acosta. "The target this season is to take the maximum points from every race… this is the mentality.”
The disappointment was there but not as much as might be expected. After the chequered flag, Acosta parked his bike next to one of the jam-packed grandstands, removed his helmet and climbed the safety fence to cheer with the adoring crowd. Shouting at the top of his voice, they saw the emotion on his face in its entirety. This is the kind of thing riders, teams and promoters mean when they talk about growing the sport. Giving fans a connection with the stars.
Being the nice guy
Long after his race had finished, Acosta was still signing autographs and taking selfies for fans left, right and centre. He carried out all his media duties with grace and manners, looking at those he interacted with straight in the eyes. He recognises the duty he has to help grow this sport as he himself rises to its highest peaks.
To become one of the next greats, he doesn’t need to be on red carpets or driving Lamborghinis. It starts with the understanding that in 2023, it’s not enough to simply win races and championships, it’s bringing that sense of theatre to the sport with heroes and villains and making that connection between fans and the protagonists. He gets that completely.
But make no mistake, whatever it is that Acosta will go on to achieve, he’ll do it his way and at his own pace. He’s not here to be the next Marquez or Rossi, he’s just here to be the best that he can be.
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