Pedro Acosta: “Same dynamic, but saving the crashes!”

Pedro Acosta approaches the final four rounds of his rookie MotoGP season looking to rebound from a bittersweet Motegi.

The GASGAS Tech3 rookie followed his Mandalika runner-up result with a debut pole position in Japan, then battled the best of the Ducatis for race glory.

Unfortunately for the 20-year-old, he walked away empty-handed from both encounters.

Acosta crashed while leading the Saturday Sprint, then from an early second place behind eventual winner Francesco Bagnaia in the grand prix.

Those accidents took Acosta’s season total to 22, putting him ahead of Marc Marquez for most falls this year. It also cost him fifth place in the world championship to future team-mate Brad Binder.

But Acosta’s speed isn’t in doubt and the unknown factor of the new Phillip Island track surface should mean a more level playing field against the class veterans.

"It's been a good week at home after so many races and trips, I've been able to rest, disconnect, and also train where I like the most,” said Acosta.

“We have four very intense Grands Prix left and we will finish our first season as a MotoGP rider, I hope to continue in the same dynamic as the weekend of Motegi, but saving the crashes!

“Australia is the first weekend of the four remaining and it's a circuit that I love, it's the most demanding of the championship and I hope I can have a good result there.

“The only handicap in Australia for a guy from Mazarron is the cold... but we will try to fight it!"

“Pedro Acosta left Japan with a double DNF and frustration rate at its maximum level, as he was one of the fastest all weekend,” said team manager Nicolas Goyon.

“It is quite clear that Pedro is feeling really well at the moment, he has understood the bike pretty well, and we know he will want to make up for the previous round, and Phillip Island should be a good place to do it.”

Team-mate Augusto Fernandez is facing the closing stages of his full-time MotoGP career, with the rumoured Yamaha test deal yet to materialise.

"We are heading to one of my favourite tracks of the calendar, Phillip Island is so special and it is amazing to ride there,” Fernandez said. “The last rounds were not easy, but we continue to remain motivated.

“We had some positives in Japan that we just need to apply and turn into results, so let's do everything to be more competitive in Australia."

“Augusto Fernandez experienced another black weekend in Japan, but Australia is such an atypical track where he felt fast in 2023, where he should not suffer the issues encountered lately,” Goyon added.

Free practice at Phillip Island begins on Friday.