doing even more, and potentially
saved Marquez's legend.
His second at the Lombok
Island circuit, enjoying a new
chassis from KTM was a nota-
bly strong ride. He pressured
winner Martin
until the clos-
ing stages and was barely 1.5
seconds adrift at the flag.
After
several race crashes, it was a
fine affirmation.
Yet in the post-race ceremo
-
nials, the 20-year-old Spaniard
was notably glum. After his epic
ride,
Acosta was left in limbo for
almost an hour under threat of
being demoted 16 seconds from
second to ninth. No wonder he
looked downcast.
His sin? Falling foul of the
widely derided minimum tire
pressure regs.
An hour later, he was ab
-
solved. The stewards ruled that
though he
had indeed broken
the rule, running below the
minimum 1.8 bar for more than
40 percent of race distance, it
P
edro Acosta may not have
broken Marc Marquez's
"youngest-ever" records,
but a fourth podium in Indone-
sia cemented his position as top
KTM
rider.
For the first time, the rookie
now outranked fellow KTM pi-
lots Brad Binder and Jack Miller
in the title race. The problems
that have undermined these
redoubtable former GP winners
show it's the bike rather than the
rider that has stopped Acosta
P136
CN II IN THE PADDOCK
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
– HOW RULES CONSPIRE TO
MAKE MOTOGP LOOK STUPID
TIRED OUT
After his epic ride,
Pedro Acosta was left
in limbo for almost
an hour under threat
of being demoted 16
seconds, which would
have dropped him from
second to ninth at the
Indonesian Grand Prix.
PHOTO: GOLD & GOOSE
