Pedro Acosta said his Buriram Sprint duel with Marc Marquez ranks as the best battle of his MotoGP career so far.
The KTM rider unexpectedly found himself fighting the reigning champion for victory after Marco Bezzecchi crashed from the early lead.
Acosta repeatedly launched his RC16 inside Marc Marquez under braking for the final corner.
Each time, Marquez reclaimed the advantage on the exit until a small mistake in the infield with three laps remaining allowed Acosta to finally hold the lead.
Now Marquez was the attacker, but when an outbraking move into the final turn involved contact that sent Acosta wide, the #93 was given a drop one place penalty by the FIM Stewards.
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That penalty should have set the scene for a final victory showdown, but Marquez didn’t see the penalty on his dashboard until he exited the penultimate corner.
With no chance to respond, he instead allowed Acosta through at the final corner to hand the KTM rider victory.
Despite the anticlimactic finish, Acosta thoroughly enjoyed fighting with a rider he is tipped to join at Ducati next season.
“Super fun,” Pedro Acosta said. “My best battle so far in MotoGP.”
The young Spaniard also had no complaints about Marquez’s aggressive move.
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“Sure. I mean, this is what makes MotoGP that exciting,” Acosta said.
“You remember these kinds of battles and these kinds of moments. It was a nice race for the fans.”
Jorge Martin, Pedro Acosta, Marc Marquez, 2026 Thai MotoGP.
© Gold and Goose
It might not have been for victory, but Acosta was back in the thick of some intense racing action during the grand prix.
Acosta got the better of Marquez and fellow MotoGP champion Jorge Martin on his way to second place behind Bezzecchi.
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“I enjoyed it like in my Moto3 days, when I was normally making many overtakes,” Acosta said.
“I’m in a really good moment, enjoying every time the battles, like today with Jorge.”
However, reflecting on the lights-to-flag dominance by Bezzecchi, Acosta added:
“Maybe let’s try to make like Marco next time, who just pulls away and doesn’t get involved in these messy battles!”
Acosta, the first KTM rider to ever lead the MotoGP standings, takes a seven-point advantage over Bezzecchi into next weekend’s return of the Brazilian round, at Goiania.
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