Pedro Acosta (6th): KTM significantly faster, but Aprilia still pulling away

Trailing by 0.493 seconds, Pedro Acosta finished sixth in qualifying for the Brno Grand Prix and was once again the best-placed KTM rider. Acosta was the only one of the RC16 quartet to secure direct entry into Q2.

Acosta had been leading on Friday afternoon, but a mechanical issue forced the Spaniard to switch to a spare bike. He didn’t feel as confident on his second bike as he had on his race bike.

Acosta’s Brno weekend got off to a rocky start

Friday got off to a strange start for Acosta. On his very first timed lap, the number 37 KTM ended up in the gravel trap. “The crash was quite strange because lots of riders went down in that chicane. Maybe there was some dirt on the track there or something like that,” he mused.

“Right at the start of practice, Di Giannantonio almost had a highside right in front of me, and shortly afterwards I lost the front there too. So it’s hard to say exactly what caused it,” commented Acosta, who wasn’t put off by the early crash on Friday morning and went on to set some very strong lap times later on.

What makes the KTM RC16 better than last year

Compared to last year, Acosta feels significantly more competitive. “I’ve got a very good feeling when braking. It’s true that I had a few problems on the fast sections of the track last year. But the bike’s performing a bit better there now.”

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Acosta is convinced that he was unable to realise his KTM’s full potential on Friday afternoon. “On my second attempt, I wasn’t really precise,” admitted the 22-year-old. “Perhaps I lost my concentration a bit when changing bikes. The feel was slightly different. Nevertheless, I think we have the potential to fight for places 3 to 6.”

During his media session, Acosta was unable to say why his KTM broke down during qualifying. “The bike just stopped. The team is currently analysing all the data. They haven’t found the cause yet, but I’m sure they’ll find the solution. It’s just a matter of time.”

The Aprilia riders’ lap times surprise Acosta

Last year, the Brno weekend marked the start of a clear upward trend for Acosta. He managed to build on his already strong form from the previous year as early as Friday. “We were below the lap record, and in last year’s qualifying I clocked a 1:52.8. This time we were six tenths of a second faster. The only problem is that Aprilia have also gone five tenths faster.”

“In the end, we’re still four tenths off. I think we still have potential, even if not as much as they do. I wouldn’t say we have the potential to win, but we have good potential. We simply need to keep improving the bike and understand where our weaknesses lie. That’s all,” summarised the KTM factory rider.