The Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas was the latest hunting ground for Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 and their phenomenon Pedro Acosta. The 19-year-old seized the holeshot at the Circuit of the Americas and battled for the lead through the first half of the 20-lap distance before sealing a comfortable runner-up position. The rostrum appearance was his second in a row in what is just his third MotoGP race on the GASGAS RC16. Teammate Augusto Fernandez grabbed points in 14th place while the team’s Moto3™ star, Daniel Holgado, was also on the box and continues to lead the world championship.
A busy and expectant Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas took place at the wide scale and epic setting of the Circuit of the Americas, southeast of Austin. Pedro Acosta had already shown more of his limitless potential by qualifying 2nd on the grid and for his first front row start as Augusto Fernandez also showed marks of improvement with his feeling and possibilities on the 2024 GASGAS RC16.
Acosta signaled his intention from the first seconds of the third round of the championship. He swept to the holeshot and then tussled with names like Marquez, Martin and Bagnaia for the lead, endlessly probing line variations, positioning, overtaking opportunities and with fearless braking. The Grand Prix was breathtaking as the riders pushed the limits of their tire grip. The general pace eased slightly in the final phase but Acosta kept the tension high as he closed to the rear wheel of Maverick Viñales with two laps to go. At the flag the different was 1.7 seconds as Acosta climbed the box in a row and for his personal best classification, three weeks after finishing 3rd in Portugal.
Augusto had his own battle on the outskirts of the top ten and in the search for the most amount of points. He sensed that the top 13 might be possible in the final laps but was able to confirm 14th.
Acosta’s impressive efforts mean he is 4th in the championship standings and just five points from P2. Fernandez will be looking to build his points stock from 16th.
The thick atmosphere and passion for motorcycle racing that is such a forceful part of the Spanish Grand Prix will be felt in two weeks. MotoGP will form-up inside the Jerez circuit for the first of four rounds to take place on European soil in May and June.
Pedro Acosta, 2nd: “What a race. It’s a long time since I enjoyed a race as much. You cannot imagine how fun I had passing the boys. I overtook them, they overtook me, I had to recover positions: it was super-nice. We learned a lot from Saturday and used it for Sunday and we have to be really happy about that.”
Augusto Fernandez, 14th: “Hard race but some important points. I struggled to keep the pace today. We need to analyze what Pedro is doing because it’s amazing and he made the right choice with the tire. I’m looking forward to getting back to Jerez because it might be slightly easier to understand how we can maximize the bike more there. I’d like to get closer. I’m feeling stronger than, say, we were in Qatar but I want to learn more.”
Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “An unbelievable performance and race from Pedro Acosta. It is almost hard to find the words. We are only at the third round but we already have two podiums and it’s amazing how the weekend went. We felt that he was disappointed after his Sprint yesterday, so we decided to gamble a little bit with the rear tire and he was really strong with his decision. It shows how mature he is. The numbers show that he is on the way to becoming a great rider. I want to urge Augusto to keep working in the direction we took for COTA. This weekend we tried something different and be more conservative with the bike. We didn’t see the full benefit of this strategy but it was a better weekend and the two points was a small reward. I’m sure this approach will pay-off soon. Congratulations to the whole team for a great weekend.”
Results MotoGP Grand Prix of Americas
1. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Aprilia 41:09.503
2. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +1.728
3. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Ducati +2.703
9. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +14.931
13. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +24.011
14. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +27.652
World Championship standings MotoGP
1. Jorge Martin (ITA) Ducati, 80 points
2. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Ducati, 59
3. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Aprilia, 56
4. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 54
6. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 49
10. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 22
16. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 7
Moto3
Moto3 ripped around COTA for 14 laps on Sunday morning. Dani Holgado, the championship leader and winner of the previous round in Portugal, had qualified on the front row: effectively a direct route into the leading pack. The Spaniard was joined by four other candidates for the podium as the posse rounded and weaved along the 5.5km layout. An intense duel with Angel Piqueras for P2 was split by just over a hundredth of a second at the flag and Dani picked up yet another podium trophy to defend his status at the very top of the Moto3 standings.
Rookie Jacob Roulstone revved-up from a decent 6th place on the grid but with the limitation of a Long Lap penalty for moving off the circuit during sessions on Saturday. Roulstone overcame the deficit to move up through the field to reach the top ten. Feeling fast and confident with the circuit, Jacob snared 8th, earning the Australian eight points.
Daniel Holgado, 2nd: “A difficult race because there was big contact on the first lap but I’m happy even though we didn’t have much grip because I took the soft tire. Anyway, happy, and this consistency is important for the championship. See you in Jerez!”
Jacob Roulstone, 8th: “Overall quite a good result. It was probably one of the most chaotic first laps I have ever experienced! But I stayed focused. I think I timed the Long Lap quite well and it was a shame I had to do it. We worked hard all through the weekend and we made a few steps that I’m happy about. I cannot thank the team enough.”
Results Moto3 Grand Prix of Americas
1. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO 31:38.427
2. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +5.163
3. Angel Piqueras (ESP) Honda +5.176
6. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna IntactGP +13.730
8. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +19.126
9. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO +19.325
13. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +22.869
DNF. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna IntactGP
DNS. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo
World Championship standings Moto3
1. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 65 points
2. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO, 63
3. Joel Kelso (AUS) KTM, 28
5. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna IntactGP, 22
6. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna IntactGP, 21
7. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo, 20
9. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO, 20
11. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 19
20. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 3