Pedro Acosta ‘excited to start very special season’

After an impressive pre-season, Pedro Acosta will make his official MotoGP debut this weekend at Lusail.

Acosta’s adaptation has been very smooth, and while testing does not always represent a clear picture, the reigning Mto2 world champion has been consistently inside the top ten during the pre-season. 

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"I am excited to start a season that will be very special for me,” said Acosta ahead of this weekend’s season-opener.

“First-year in MotoGP with a team that I have connected with very well from the beginning. 

“The test in Qatar has helped us a lot to approach the first race of the season, so we have a good feeling.

“Our goal is to keep adapting and to understand little by little how the bike works. Come on, let's get started!"

The hype around Acosta has been intense ever since he stepped on the GASGAS KTM machine at the end of last season.

And with KTM looking set for another very competitive season in 2024, Acosta could be a major player when it comes to battling for the top five as early as round one.

On the other side of the garage, Augusto Fernandez hands over the role of lone rookie to Acosta, as the Spaniard gets set for season number two in the premier class.

Speaking ahead of Friday’s opening practice, Fernandez said: "After a long winter and all the pre-season testing done, I am super happy to be finally heading to our first race week of the year, and go back to ‘real’ racing!

“The winter tests did not go as well as we would have hoped, as I struggled a lot.

“However, I have faith in all the work we have achieved, we understand the new bike, and we know where we have to improve to be competitive again.

“Recovering the same feeling as towards the end of 2023 is our goal for this first round, hopefully we can be at a similar level, and build from there."