Pedro Acosta

Segfault said:

In short, he is claimed to be "one super talent in ten years" ... I disagree.

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We shall see.

Yes we will see. He has the results so far. It will be interesting to watch.

Segfault said:

Is it time to start feeling sorry for him? The hype around him is enormous. I'm pretty good observer, IMHO Acosta is good but not that good. Compared to Marc I'd say he is equal in live situation awareness (emerging as a winner from a group fight), he has the raw speed but I do not see him as good as Marc when the bike is less than perfect.
In short, he is claimed to be "one super talent in ten years" ... I disagree.

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I agree. I was fighting a losing battle when everyone was saying he HAS to be in MotoGP next year. I'm indifferent to him, so it makes no difference to me if he fails/succeed. I hope, for his sake, he didn't make a mistake by not waiting for the factory KTM seat (which is what I thought he should've done)

One of the things I like about Acosta is he seems to be very aware of his situation. He doesn't feel the pressure of the hype because he understands his situation. He strikes me as a smart level headed kid. His potential is very high but it is just that, potential. I do think he has the mental skills though to be who he is hyped up to be. Time will tell.

Another exciting element to 2024 for sure.

Not on Marc's level IMO but if he gets to be a Lorenzo type of racer, that's a lot already. I'm more excited for Aldeguer.

MichaelBolton said:

Not on Marc's level IMO but if he gets to be a Lorenzo type of racer, that's a lot already. I'm more excited for Aldeguer.

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I agree with this. I do think he has better race craft than JLo though. He seems to thrive in head to head battles and makes very good passes in these situations. I think he could be a slightly better version of JLo.

I literally physically bumped into Pedro at the airport in Austin. Ever since that moment I have been winning..................at everything. Something had to have rubbed off. Just sayin'.

The thing is, when it come to MotoGP, past performance in the lower classes is not indicative of anything. When riders get on the big bike some do better than others. Winning a Moto 2 (or 250) title is good for the resume but doesn't really mean squat. Biaggi and Zarco won that title twice. I don't think Fabio exactly set the world on fire in Moto2 but when he stepped up to MotoGP he made a leap.

Seeing what the new arrivals can accomplish in the first part of a new season is one of the most interesting things in any season. Especially as I don't have any high hopes that the racing in general will improve in 24. I will probably be watching the AFT season closer than MotoGP next year.

#22 said:

Another exciting element to 2024 for sure.

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Definitely, I am really looking forward to the 2024 season, bring it !!!

Segfault said:

Maybe it is so.
Maybe it is the opposite. It is easy to mess with a youngster's mind, all grown-up world is telling him: "You are The One". It is easy to believe, will give him sky-high confidence. What happens if the reality what kicks in is different? Confidence turns into depression, high expectations become a heavy burden. In any case, I don't think this hype is good for him.

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I didn't follow moto 2 closely in the recent season (I did when MM himself was racing and when Remy Gardner won the title) but for me the problem apart from anything else is the quality of the bike and team he is going to. We have just seen that even MM can't have an MM impact on a bike which doesn't allow same, so even if he has MM talent he may not be able to demonstrate this, given that rather than jumping on one of the only 4 bikes on the grid capable of winning a race he is going to a team which has been a graveyard for highly performed moto 2 riders including moto 2 champions. I am sure he is better than his predecessors and will be given more than a year to prove himself, but I don't see much evidence for the Gasgas team being very good, or even for a full factory KTM ride allowing him to show everything he has, given Binder who is imo very good as well as experienced on a premier class bike is not strongly competitive at every track. There is also some body of opinion that the Ajo junior class teams are so well run that this may inflate the rating of their riders.

So I agree with you to the extent that the boom may be off him, although perhaps unfairly, after a year of riding a Gasgas KTM against the current field, particularly with 8 Ducati riders among his rivals for a start. At a minimum he would imo have been better off going straight to the factory team, waiting another season if this could not be contrived for next season. Being competitive with Binder might have been enough to keep most of his high rating, but being out of contract with KTM and having the wide choice he would likely have in that circumstance would be better obviously, I am uncertain what choice he had under his current contract, Raul Fernandez who admittedly had not won the moto 2 title wanted to stay in moto 2 for another year. I actually see Red Bull to some extent corralling much of the young talent as problematic for that talent if this locks said riders into a KTM premier class ride, particularly a Gasgas KTM ride. I guess however one of the reasons KTM want another 2 slots on the grid is to allow them to give their riders from moto 2 more time. .

MdubSTYLIE said:

I agree with this. I do think he has better race craft than JLo though. He seems to thrive in head to head battles and makes very good passes in these situations. I think he could be a slightly better version of JLo.

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Slightly better than a top 10 rider all time wouldn’t be too shabby. I ended up being a Lorenzo fan admittedly, but I would only put 5 riders definitely ahead of Lorenzo, 6 obviously if Ago’s era is considered comparable given he could hardly have done more in that era, and maybe 7 if you are a Stoner fanboy such as I am and consider Stoner’s quality in his two best seasons to outweigh Lorenzo’s better career achievements including greater longevity.

You may be correct about JL’s racecraft, but imo his eventual butterhammer style/thing was the only way to challenge MM on a Yamaha when the Honda was a strong bike, and even then Dorna didn’t seem overly keen on him having a tire which suited him.

He is riding an inferior bike against the ducati armada. He is out there trying to win not be mediocre. No one on a ktm is anywhere near his pace. I'm fine with him crashing going for it. Win it or bin it. He went into this season with zero goals and no pressure but to go out there and ride the .... out of that bike. I'm all about his aproach. .... 5th he is out there to win but the bike can't handle him not vice versa.

I'll reserve my judgement until the next year. Not a fan of his personality nor some of his statements towards Marc he's done this year to the Spanish press, the lad seems very much a Vale fan. But as far as his riding quality is concerned, it's still too soon to judge him. The DNFs are disappointing but he had also an underwhelming first year in Moto2, and wouldn't be the first great with a troublesome first season. Too many Ducatis right now which is a problem that will alleviate itself a little bit next season, and then it's up to KTM to make a competitive bike. He's definitely talented, even if his racing judgement hasn't been the best this season.

MdubSTYLIE said:

He is out there trying to win not be mediocre

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Problem with this approach is that injuries can come, as he's found out recently. He can get lucky and get away with little nitpicky injuries, or get something more serious which isn't recommendable when he's just beginning his MotoGP career.

MichaelBolton said:

Problem with this approach is that injuries can come, as he's found out recently. He can get lucky and get away with little nitpicky injuries, or get something more serious which isn't recommendable when he's just beginning his MotoGP career.

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Most definitely. The mindset of someone who is trying to be great is to win at all costs. Injury isn't something they think about. You can't. The moment you do is the moment you begin to accept being mid pack.

Strikes me that Acosta is taking a similar path to M Marquez but isn’t on a bike that can win

I saw Marc doing most of his crashing in practice though, so he knew exactly where the limit was for the race. Most of the crashing was not in the race though, but 2015 he lost more points in races.
Yes he crashed a lot and yes he got injured badly and came back way too soon.
It seems the front traction is more of a precipice now with aero and ride height.
Dont know that you can push the front so far past the limit like when Marc started out. Acosta looks to be able to save the front well but the edge is now more of a drop off it seems.