Pedro Acosta’s back-story about Michael Dunlop link-up at Valentino Rossi’s ranch

Pedro Acosta spoke about his “dream come true” as he teamed up with road racing legend Michael Dunlop at Valentino Rossi’s 100km of Champions in Tavullia earlier this month.

The Red Bull Factory KTM rider has made no secret about his admiration for the TT hero, stating that he is one of his idols. When asked by Crash.net - Acosta talked about his experience with Dunlop.

“Well, it was super nice! It was one dream come true,” he beamed. “In the end, I wanted a lot to go to the TT last year, but I couldn’t.

“For this, super happy to share with him, he’s completely a special guy and has a lot of experience about life, let’s say; quite different to the experience that I can have competing on a track.”

The pair finished 23rd and last in the feature race, but that didn’t dampen the experience for Acosta.

“But, it was quite funny,” he said.

“Also it was the first time that he was [riding] flat track – for this, it was quite tricky for him. But, I don’t know, I really enjoyed sharing with him.”

Dunlop posted a photo of the two on his social media channels during the event, which created a buzz online and goes to show how an event like the 100km of Champions can allow these crossovers to happen, which is something a lot of motorcycle fans crave.

As Acosta prepares for his 2nd season in MotoGP after a stellar rookie season, Dunlop has been spotted recently at Jerez testing a Ducati Panigale V2 machine.

This is hinting towards a switch of machinery for the Supersport class on the roads in 2025 for 29-time TT winner.

In a surprise announcement, Dunlop has also joined Team LRP Poland for the 2025 FIM Endurance World Championship onboard BMW machinery.