KTM’s Homecoming: Austrian MotoGP as a Crucial Turning Point for Acosta and Team

Austrian MotoGP KTM's "decisive moment" – Acosta

KTM approaches its home event after falling behind in recent races, yet historically performing well at the Austrian MotoGP.

The Austrian Grand Prix is a significant event in the MotoGP season for KTM, a team that has secured two victories at the Red Bull Ring, making it a crucial race for their riders as well.

The KTM RC16 underwent extensive early development at the Red Bull Ring, a track that Tech3 GasGas rider Pedro Acosta believes is well-suited to the bike. This comes at a crucial point in KTM's season.

Acosta mentioned, "Our bike originated just a few kilometers away from here in Mattighofen. We aren't entirely sure why, but this track seems to suit our bike exceptionally well. For the four riders from Pierer Mobility Group, this could be a crucial opportunity to regain confidence and achieve strong results in the upcoming races."

Acosta, however, is confident that KTM's luck is about to improve.

He mentioned that the recent races were influenced by various factors that hindered their competitiveness.

"I believe that including Austria, Aragon, Misano, and the international races will enable us to regain our competitive edge."

Apart from having more suitable tracks, Acosta credits any expected performance enhancements for KTM to the efforts of the test team, which includes Pol Espargaro, who is participating as a wildcard at the Red Bull Ring this weekend.

He added that the factory's operations are crucial. He mentioned that Pol Espargaro would be participating as well, emphasizing that they've been paying close attention to feedback from both Dani Pedrosa and Pol in recent months. As a result, he is confident that they will make significant progress.

Although he is just a few months from transitioning from the Tech3 team to the official KTM team, Acosta maintains that he is unaware of what Espargaro is evaluating this weekend.

"I have to admit, I'm completely in the dark," he remarked. "All I am aware of is that FP1 is tomorrow and we need to advance to Q2 in PR. Frankly, that's about it. We'll deal with future issues when they arise; for now, let's concentrate on the challenges we're currently facing."

During the summer break before the British Grand Prix, Acosta conducted tests at the Red Bull Ring. He was riding a Kalex Moto2 motorcycle equipped with WP suspension. Although this session was considered a test, Acosta confirmed that he did not try out any new components for the WP suspension, aligning with comments made by CFMoto Aspar Moto2 racer Jake Dixon following his victory at the British Grand Prix.

“We weren’t actually working on any developments,” Acosta mentioned. Rather, the testing session was driven by his wish to complete laps on what he described as “a real bike on a genuine MotoGP circuit.”

"I mostly wanted to complete clean laps," he explained. "During the season, there are few opportunities to ride with the right bike on a proper MotoGP track. It's fairly simple to ride around Spain at places like Valencia, Jerez, and Aragon, but accessing a track like this one is quite challenging."

Acosta mentioned that riding alongside Dani Pedrosa and Pol Espargaro helped him gain some insights into the KTM MotoGP bike's performance at the Austria track. This experience provided him, as a newcomer, with a minor advantage for the upcoming weekend compared to his experiences at different tracks.

"I was simply circling the track to grasp the conditions,” Acosta mentioned. “Additionally, during those days, Pol Espargaro and Dani Pedrosa were also testing the KTM MotoGP bike. I managed to trail them for a few meters when they overtook me, observing their riding techniques, paths, and overall performance."

"Because I've already spent some time on the track, this weekend might be a bit easier for me."

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