Young Gun Acosta impresses Miller with his fearless riding style
GasGas Tech3 rider Pedro Acosta made a strong debut in Qatar and continued to impress in the Portuguese Grand Prix, finishing third behind the Ducatis of Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini. But it wasn’t just his podium finish that caught the attention of his fellow riders, it was his fearless riding style.
Acosta, only 19 years old, showed his ability to pass factory KTM riders with ease, making bold moves on Jack Miller and Brad Binder. Miller, who finished fourth, was in awe of Acosta’s riding style and believes there is a lot he can learn from the young Spaniard.
“He’s not really on top of the bike, he’s out of the bike a lot,” Miller said. “He has everything touching the ground. Looks like his head is about to touch the ground at some point.”
Miller, who is 29 years old, admits that he is still learning every race and sees Acosta as a target to learn from. He believes that younger riders like Acosta are bringing a new riding style to MotoGP, with their bikes touching the ground in every corner.
Acosta’s fearless riding style is a result of the improvements made to the KTM in the last 12 months, and he is taking full advantage of it. Miller and Binder, who both ride for the factory KTM team, were no match for Acosta’s satellite KTM.
“Me and Brad got pretty close in the braking zone and I ended up off the kerbs. I left the door open for Pedro,” Miller said. “Pedro rode fantastic. Once he got past Brad, he kind of just put the hammer down.”
Acosta’s impressive performance also caught the attention of MotoGP champions Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia, as he overtook them before securing his third-place finish on the final lap.
Miller and Binder were left with their “tongues hanging out” as they tried to chase down Acosta, but they couldn’t do anything about it. Miller admits that he didn’t have a chance against Acosta and was simply in awe of his riding style.
But Miller sees this as an opportunity to learn and improve his own riding style. He plans to go back and do more pilates to improve his flexibility and bike control.
Acosta’s fearless riding style has not only impressed his fellow riders, but also the fans and media. Kosport Magazine will continue to follow Acosta’s journey and see how he continues to push the limits in MotoGP.
