Pedrosa: “Radical KTM Upgrades” Have Pedro Acosta Back in the…
KTM test rider Dani Pedrosa explains the "radical changes" made that helped Pedro Acosta regain podium form in late stage…
After a tough outing at the 2024 Malaysian Grand Prix, Pedro Acosta was candid about his struggle to find his rhythm amidst overtaking difficulties, braking problems, and adapting to new fairing setups on his KTM.
Reflecting on his overtaking struggles, the Spaniard described how “super difficult” it was to pass Jack Miller. The overtaking challenge, compounded by changes to his setup, repeatedly sent Acosta wide when trying to pass other riders on the inside.
“With the changes we had made, overtaking was very difficult. Every time I passed someone, I went wide. But the last four laps were good to understand what we had to do,” he explained.
One issue stood out for the rookie – braking. “Riding alone it was okay, but behind Jack I almost hit him 20 times,” Acosta admitted. “It was very strange because I haven’t had this problem all year.”
“We have to go back to what we know. It was very difficult, but it doesn’t matter. We have to be happy to see these problems and know what we have to do.”
What seemingly helped the Spaniard in Sepang was the change back to KTM’s old front fairing. Additionally, Acosta got to try the Austrians’ new fork-mounted winglet that only wildcards Dani Pedrosa and Pol Espargaro were allowed to run prior. Acosta observed that while it slightly lowered front tire temperatures.
“The front tyre can lock up and threaten to collapse. That helps to transfer the forces to the front wheel differently,” he explained,
“It was interesting to see the difference in the fairings. It was better because I could overtake other riders. I’m not completely happy, but I’m happy because it was important to finish a race.” The Spaniard struggled with recurring errors in past race weeks. Until the Thai Grand Prix, he was without a race finish in three race weekends.
Acosta acknowledged that mistakes earlier in the season cost him valuable points, saying, “I do not like to say this, but it is true, that I have lost a lot of points during this year by making stupid mistakes.”
