The first part of this Moto2 season took the form of a duel between Tony Arbolino, current leader in the general classification, and Pedro Acosta who follows him by eight points. The last Grands Prix before the summer break were favorable to the young 19-year-old Spaniard who won four of the eight races already contested, while he learned, before leaving on vacation, that KTM would guarantee him whatever happened this year, a place in MotoGP in 2024. But a stubborn reading of the provisional hierarchy still identifies him as second to the Italian who is making his way. The second half, which begins in August at Silverstone, will be worth the detour...
Peter Acosta has yet to materialize in this title race and, yet, in the paddock, he seems to have a certain moral ascendancy which means that we would tend to already grant him everything. The “long lap” blow in Assen validated, while doubt will always exist about an encroachment in the prohibited green part, fuels this fear of the beginning of impunity which bodes ill for the rest of his career and that of others. However, there was a precedent, which still applies in MotoGP, and from which we should learn lessons...
But to have good visibility for the future, it will first be necessary to put an end to this Moto2 campaign which therefore opposes Peter Acosta et Tony Arbolino. What considerations do they have for each other? The first response comes from the Spaniard on speedweek : " to be honest, I don't think anyone would have expected Arbolino to be in front, but I would have rather seen guys like Lopez or Canet ". This is off to a good start. Then the Ajo KTM rider adds: “ However, Arbolino was very fast down the stretch last season. He may not have been as fast in Portimão testing, but he is now the championship leader ».
« We know we're as fast as him, but he's the leader right now » he notes. “ This is the situation. We must be aware that we can't make any more mistakes. We have to believe in ourselves and try to score points. I think the guy in front always has the pressure. Arbolino has pressure now, and 20 guys want to beat him ". And he ends: “ everything can happen. It's very easy to gain a lot of points, but it's also very easy to lose a lot of points. So we have to be focused and try not to make a lot of mistakes ».
Tony Arbolino: “ Pedro Acosta doesn't worry me, I'm mentally focused on the fight for the title"
Under pressure Tony Arbolino ? It remains to be seen, because it doesn’t really reflect on his vision of current events…” Pedro Acosta doesn't worry me because I take care of myself to always be 100% myself » said the protégé of Charles Pernat. " I know that when I'm at 100%, others have a hard time beating me. I always have this mentality that when I'm in shape, I think more about other people's concerns and not the other way around. When I'm not 100%, I always try to get the best result possible. And when I feel that I'm strong, I want to do well in that moment ».
He adds : " sometimes it is necessary, especially when it comes to the title fight, to settle for the best possible result in certain situations, without exagerating. I'm mentally focused on fighting for the title, but not too much, because if I can win, I always want to win. But I still see it a lot in terms of the world championship ».
« This is my current mentality. In tough races I don't want to overdo it because I can't do more than I have. So I try to get the best possible result. We will continue like this, the mentality of the whole team is very good and that will help us for this whole season »Assures Arbolino.
And it will be even more so that his current teammate Sam Lowes has already declared that he will make sure to help his team win the title, now that he is assured of a future on a Ducati in WSBK under his colors… Pedro Acosta therefore risks having to deal with two Marc VDS pilots and no more than one... By the way, Acosta et Arbolino have the same nickname “shark” and the Spaniard declared on this subject that there could only be one. What does the Italian think? “ I don't go around saying, "I'm the shark." » I'm Tony Arbolino... I don't care, I want to prove it on the track, and in all conditions ».
