Jack Miller and Pedro Acosta impressed Neil Hodgson in the Grand Prix of Thailand as the KTM Factory Racing and GASGAS Tech3 riders produced something ‘unbelievable’.
Buriram welcomed the MotoGP field back to a wet Chang International Circuit on Sunday as Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia reduced his deficit to 2024 title rival Jorge Martin of Pramac to 17 points. The Italian seized on the Spaniard running wide to edge him by 2.905 seconds.
A rookie also joined Bagnaia and Martin on the podium as Acosta reached the rostrum, only an extra 0.895s behind. The Tech3 talent came through from seventh place on the grid to be the top KTM rider in front of factory pair Miller and Brad Binder each in fifth and sixth place.
Neil Hodgson found Pedro Acosta and Jack Miller’s fight at the Thai GP ‘unbelievable’
Acosta had to pass the man he is replacing at the factory KTM team in 2025, Miller, to reach the fifth podium of the 20-year-old’s rookie MotoGP campaign. The Austrian outfit will bring the Spanish star in to partner Binder next term, as Miller moves to Pramac to ride a Yamaha.
The fight Acosta and Miller produced over third place and the last spot on the podium at the Grand Prix of Thailand also impressed Hodgson. Less than a lap remained in Buriram when Acosta got his satellite KTM RC16 within striking distance of the 29-year-old for the rostrum.
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Acosta might have thought he had Miller covered when the Mazarron native got around the Australian’s outside exiting Turn 3. But the Townsville, Queensland native had other ideas as he stuck to the outside on the straight and beat Acosta on the brakes to lead again at Turn 4.
Braking slightly earlier, however, gave Acosta the punch out of the corner to level Miller into T5. But their fight continued at T6 as the KTM rider hung on through the double left-hander, only for the Tech3 talent to finally complete a crucial overtake with the inside line for Turn 7.
The way that Acosta and Miller fought largely side-by-side for five corners in wet conditions for the last spot on the Grand Prix of Thailand podium impressed Hodgson. He also found it particularly remarkable from Acosta with the Tech3 talent often fighting to find grip, as well.
“Unbelievable from the pair of them,” Hodgson said on TNT Sports 2 (27/10, 08:43), before later adding: “[Acosta] was flirting with the limit. Good battle.”
Pedro Acosta once again proved why KTM had to give him Jack Miller’s 2025 ride
Acosta finishing the Grand Prix of Thailand as the lead KTM rider once again proved why the Austrian outfit have promoted him to a factory ride next year at Miller’s expense. The Tech3 star has constantly shown he is not afraid to get his elbows out to deliver results in MotoGP.
It would have been easy for Acosta to make a mistake and collide with Miller as they fought for third. Hodgson took issue with Franco Morbidelli in the Grand Prix of Thailand when he crashed into Fabio Quartararo with a ‘silly’ overtake. But that was not the case with Acosta.
Finishing in third place even puts Acosta just six points shy of Binder as the lead KTM rider in the 2024 MotoGP championship standings. The South African sits in fifth on 203 points after 18 of the 20 rounds to Acosta’s 197. Miller has so far taken 82 points to sit in just 14th place.