Valentino Rossi is aiming to bring Pedro Acosta into his VR46 fold, according to reports in Italy.
The 20-year-old agreed a multi-year deal with KTM’s factory MotoGP squad after a superb rookie season in the Premier class last summer – but with the brand now facing financial uncertainty, Rossi could pounce and is hoping to bring the Spaniard into his VR46 Ducati squad. Acosta was one of a host of top names from the world of motorcycle racing to take part in the invitational 1000km race at his ranch earlier this month, where he was paired with Isle of Man TT superbike record breaker Michael Dunlop.
And La Gazzetta dello Sport now reports that talks have been ongoing between the Shark and the Doctor, who is a big admirer of the double world champion. They say: “Pedro Acosta is still on the move to look around at alternative options to cover his a**. More than the challenge of flat track, Acosta and Valentino seem to be more interested in an exchange of words one-on-one about the future. The nine-time world champion has clear ideas and – it is said – is already targeting the big shot by bringing Acosta into his VR46 Ducati squad. When? As soon as possible. We’ll see.”
KTM, who run two factory supported MotoGP teams as well as backing squads in both Moto2 and Moto3, were plunged into financial uncertainty late last year as they entered administration and were said to be on the brink of bankruptcy – with more than 265,000 unsold motorcycles and huge mounting debts.
On signing his deal with the factory team after impressing for the satellite Tech3 squad in his debut season, Acosta, who has been backed by Red Bull and KTM since his world championship debut, said: “It was important to me to keep pushing with KTM, and to see the whole project and the story until now and how we have grown in racing. So, it’s nice to carry on for the future: getting in orange is like coming back home. The way they are pushing and improving in the last couple of years is what is also pushing me to stay for the next couple of years.”