KTM star says move to MotoGP was made easier after riding 1,000cc bikes at 14

Considered one of the best talents in MotoGP, Pedro Acosta says moving to the premier class was made easier after riding 1,000cc bikes at 14 years old. 

Although Acosta is yet to win a Grand Prix, the KTM star is viewed as a future world champion by many, which could materialise in the near future if the Spaniard completes his expected move to the factory Ducati team in 2027.

Acosta is set to line-up alongside nine-time world champion Marc Marquez on what is expected to be one of the title-contending motorcycles next season. That’s something Acosta has never had at KTM since joining MotoGP in 2024. 

Acosta joined MotoGP as a Moto3 (2021) and Moto2 (2023) world champion, but his journey to this point is particularly interesting, as the Spaniard has admitted he was riding 1,000cc bikes before he even joined Moto3. 

Speaking on the Gypsy Tales podcast, the 22-year-old revealed he was riding 1,000cc bikes as early as 14 years of age. Acosta said: 

“I think I have more advantage than somebody else in their first time on a MotoGP bike because I was riding 1000cc bikes since I was 14 - I was literally not even in the world championship.

“For this, I always have the feeling that when I was going to jump into bigger classes it was going to be easier. It looks like it was like this because when I started in Moto3, I was struggling much more to understand the bikes, the physics and everything.

“But from the first day in MotoGP it was like everything matched. This is my bike again, you know. It’s true that I struggled with some other things, but the first taste was quite nice.”

Acosta was the closest challenger to Marc Marquez at the recent Hungarian Grand Prix at Balaton Park, while he is also the only KTM rider currently inside the top ten positions in the world championship, as it stands.

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