Pedro Acosta “in a special form” after “epic 2nd”

Just 1.4s shy of Jorge Martin and a debut MotoGP victory last Sunday in Mandalika, GASGAS Tech3 team manager Nicolas Goyon says that rookie Pedro Acosta “is in a special form” heading into Motegi this weekend.

The Japanese circuit is characterised by heavying braking, a characteristic that traditionally suits the RC16 as well as Acosta, who was third in last year’s Japanese Moto2 Grand Prix.

"We just had time to recover from our emotions and the epic 2nd position from Pedro Acosta in Indonesia,” said Goyon.

“This last race of the first tripleheader is held at the iconic Motegi circuit, a very atypical layout known for its character stop-and-go, and one of the only circuits homologated for the bigger brake disks available from Brembo.

“Stopping the bike here is a challenge for the body, as well as for the machine,  but it is one of the strong characteristics of our bike, which had good results in the past.

“Pedro Acosta is in a special form, I am sure he will find his way around this track quickly to keep his momentum, and we can’t wait to see him on track again.”

Acosta, who survived a tyre pressure investigation before being officially confirmed as equalling his best MotoGP finish, has also regained fifth in the world championship from future team-mate Brad Binder.

"I think that Japan will be a good track for us, I was always competitive in Motegi in Moto2, and our bike should work well on this track, looking at last season’s results,” Acosta said.

“We are feeling good and confident after a great result in Mandalika, so we will be looking to keep the momentum going, try to be competitive on Friday already, and then we will see what our chances are.

“Looking forward to racing in front of the Japanese fans!"

While Acosta is looking for momentum, team-mate Augusto Fernandez needs something of a reset.

"I am looking forward to Japan already because the last two races have been really bad for us, and I really want to solve our problems, get back on the bike and get back the feeling,” said Fernandez, who was forced out of the Mandalika grand prix by a technical issue.

But the forecast wet weather could play into Fernandez’s hands this weekend, having finished seventh in the soaking 2023 grand prix.

“I really like Motegi, I had great results in the past, including last year in MotoGP, so I can’t wait to meet our Japanese fans and race in Japan!" he said.

Fernandez is expected to join home Japanese manufacturer Yamaha as a test rider next season.