KTM explains why Pedro Acosta will test 850cc MotoGP bike despite Ducati move
Pedro Acosta will help shape KTM's future 850cc MotoGP bike at Brno on Monday, despite joining Ducati next season.
KTM has explained why it selected Pedro Acosta to test next year's 850cc MotoGP prototype at Brno on Monday, despite the Spaniard leaving for Ducati at the end of the season.
Monday's test will provide the first opportunity for current race riders to sample MotoGP's future bikes and Pirelli tyres.
Numbers are strictly limited, but each manufacturer will have at least one race rider on track.
While Ducati, Aprilia and Yamaha have opted to only use riders staying for next season, Honda and KTM have decided that the value of feedback outweighs the risk of sharing information with future rivals.
As a result, Joan Mir and Luca Marini will ride for Honda, alongside test rider Takaaki Nakagami, while KTM has selected Pedro Acosta to join its test riders Pol Espargaro and Dani Pedrosa.
Acosta "best KTM rider we ever had"
“The two boys are on track with the test team, but we will also have one race rider, and that will be Pedro,” KTM motorsport director Pit Beirer told MotoGP pit lane reporter Jack Appleyard at Brno.
“It’s quite simple: Pedro is the fastest and best KTM rider we ever had and so we want to get the benchmark from our best rider."
Acosta's Ducati move is not yet official, but the 2027 rider announcements are expected to begin imminently now that the manufacturers have signed a new commercial deal with MotoGP SEG.
"Find out what the bike can do"
“We also have a strong test team, who have been doing an incredible job. We have a lot of information for them about the bike," Beirer continued.
“But then it’s still something different to have a race guy on there and that’s why it was for us a logical choice even if you think about where he could be next year and this and that.
“He’s our very well-respected factory rider for this season and the best rider we have.
“So we need to put our best guy on our bike to find out what the bike can do and also build on that for the development, because everybody is just halfway through and it’s still a long way to go.
“I feel we have a pretty good setup for Monday to get the next step in development.”
The choice of Acosta also casts doubt on whether any of the other current KTM riders will remain for 2027.
The factory KTM team is set to run an all-new line-up of Alex Marquez and Fabio di Giannantonio, while Tech3 is yet to confirm either of its 2027 seats.
The other riders expected to take part in the Monday test are Marc Marquez and Fermin Aldeguer for Ducati, Marco Bezzecchi and Raul Fernandez for Aprilia, plus Toprak Razgatlioglu and Augusto Fernandez for Yamaha.
Acosta suffered a nightmare end to the Czech Grand Prix race, retiring from fifth after a technical issue on the last lap.
The next Pirelli test, tipped to be open to all race riders, will be at the Red Bull Ring in September.
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