Fastest in testing, Masia aiming to be 'consistent at every race'
Spanish pair Jaume Masia and Pedro Acosta were two of the standout riders from last weekend's Official Moto3 test at the Losail International Circuit, as they concluded the final pre-season test first and second.
Masia joins the team for the 2021 season after moving from the Leopard Racing team, while Acosta replaces Raul Fernandez who has made the step-up into Moto2 with the same team.
Masia had a mixed bag of results in 2020 with four DNF's hindering any title challenge, however, the 20 year-old also showed why the KTM Ajo team signed him with a brilliant double win at Aragon.
Going into the new campaign, consistency will be a big factor for any rider hoping to claim the title.
Masia spoke about this by saying: "The goals for the 2021 season are to be consistent at every race, finish inside the Top 5 whenever possible and make no mistakes, in order to have a chance at the title at the end of the year.
"For this first Grand Prix in Qatar, we intend to finish in the best possible position, but we won’t be taking unnecessary risks. We feel very well prepared after the pre-season tests.
"We have a setup that I feel comfortable with, so I hope I can have a great performance. Losail has not been particularly good for me in the past. However, after three days of testing here last week, I have begun to understand the circuit better and enjoy it more.
"It has a couple of corners with a little level change, such as going from Turn 8 to Turn 9, but otherwise it is wide, fast and quite flat."
Masia will be joined by team-mate Acosta, who was one of the standout rookies during testing.
The Spaniard moves to the lower category as the current Red Bull Rookies Cup champion.
Speaking ahead of his debut in the Moto3 class, Acosta said: "I’m looking forward to my first year in the World Championship. We will be able to set the goals for ourselves from the second round onwards since we have to see where we are in the race first of all.
"In testing, riding alone, we were fast, but fighting with other riders is a different thing. If we finish the Qatar GP inside the Top 10, we will be happy.
"Our expectations are good, as we are coming off a positive pre-season. I rode here for the first time last week and, despite the fact that on the first day I had to be focused, in the rest of the sessions we were up at the front.
"We did a positive job, but we have to keep pushing ourselves and acquiring new knowledge."
