ACOSTA TURNS TO FLAT-TRACK TRAINING AHEAD OF JAPANESE GP

Pedro Acosta is preparing for the Japanese Grand Prix with a change of pace: instead of his usual motocross training, the Spaniard spent the break riding a flat-track bike at Rocco’s Ranch, north of Barcelona.

The session comes after a landmark weekend at Spielberg, where Acosta claimed his first MotoGP Grand Prix victory at the Red Bull Ring. Winning with KTM, his long-time employer, before moving to rival Ducati next season made the achievement especially meaningful.

Motegi is the first stop on the championship’s upcoming Asian and Australian tour. Riders have had a weekend without racing to train ahead of a demanding October schedule, which features four Grands Prix in five weeks.

Acosta heads to Japan fourth in the standings with 234 points, 72 behind championship leader Jorge Martin, and seven races remaining. The signs are encouraging for another strong result: Motegi, like the Red Bull Ring, has a stop-and-go layout that suits KTM’s RC16. Acosta finished third in last year’s Japanese Grand Prix sprint, although he placed 17th in the main race.