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Pedro Acosta is already in the legend of Spanish motorcycling. Despite the controversial maneuver by Darryn Binder, the Murcian rider was proclaimed Moto3 world champion in Portimao with all due merit and in a race that he was already leading before the reckless maneuver of the South African.
With only 17 years and 166 days, Pedro Acosta has become the second youngest rider to win a speed world championship in all of history. He is only surpassed by Loris Capirossi, who took the 125cc title in 1990 at 17 years and 165 days… One day less! A trifle that does not cloud the legend that Acosta can become.
Acosta surpasses myths like Marc Márquez or Valentino Rossi
Of course, Acosta is the youngest Spanish motorcycling rider to win a world speed championship, surpassing the mark that Marc Márquez set in 2010 17 years and 263 days. And he's also the youngest champion in the Moto3 class, which was created less than a decade ago as the 125cc heir.
Although it seems that being a champion at 16 or 17 years old seems common on motorcycles, nothing could be further from the truth. Acosta is only the third minor to be proclaimed champion of the world, after the aforementioned cases of Capirossi and Márquez. And, with the new regulations, it seems that it will be the last.
Another milestone that Acosta has achieved, and which has not been achieved since Capirossi in that 1990 season, is that of be world champion in his first season in the world. Let's remember that Márquez had two previous years in 125cc before his title, and even Valentino Rossi needed a year of adaptation.
Of course, it is worth clarifying something: the youngest world champion in motorcycle history is Spanish. Is about Manu González, who won the Supersport 300 category in 2019 with 17 years and 56 days. But if we stick to the history of the world speed championship, the record is, and will be, Capirossi.
In any case, Acosta's feat is unique, even if he has run out of the record, and the comparison of names makes it quite clear that he has a splendid career ahead of him. To begin with, he has already signed the promotion to Moto2 with Ajo Motorsport and a ladder that would take him to MotoGP in 2024.
In terms of riding style and dimensions, the Acosta's characteristics are much more closely matched to those of a Moto2. In fact, since the beginning of his career he has been training with these types of motorcycles. Will he be able to break all the records also in the intermediate category? If Raúl Fernández does not say otherwise, no one has won it the first time nor with less than 19 years.
