There are mistakes, and then there is throwing away a comfortable victory because you took your eyes off the asphalt for a split second. As Motorsport.com reports, Pedro Acosta took absolute responsibility for the crash that ruined his Saturday at the Austrian MotoGP sprint race.
With just three laps remaining and holding a comfortable lead, the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider arrived at the Turn 2/2A chicane travelling impossibly fast. The machine went down, ending a stellar run that had left the crowd favourite clear of the field. The 22-year-old was brutally honest about his error when speaking after retirement, admitting he simply missed his braking marker while looking down at his dash.
Zero. I mean, I have nothing to lose. Also, [at the moment] I'm showing more speed, with more constant good results. So, tomorrow, it's the same approach.
"I was riding in a really good mood, the pace was really good," Acosta explained. "I was just checking the laps that were remaining on the dash, to see how I was. I f***ed it up, that's it."
He had been three seconds ahead when disaster struck. The timing could not have been worse, coming at KTM's home event where the rider carries the manufacturer's high hopes. Acosta noted that trying to manage his gap by rolling off the throttle slightly actually broke his rhythm and ruined his focus at the worst possible time, vowing not to repeat that conservative approach.
Yet, when asked if his strategy would alter for the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday, his answer was defiant. "Zero. I mean, I have nothing to lose. Also, [at the moment] I'm showing more speed, with more constant good results. So, tomorrow, it's the same approach."
Acosta is still hunting for a breakthrough grand prix win as the clock winds down on his career with KTM, with the rider set to leave the Austrian manufacturer for the Ducati factory team at the end of this season.
