Pedro Acosta proved his celebrated run to a maiden MotoGP podium last time out in Portugal was to be no flash in the pan as he notched up more milestones at Grand Prix of The Americas en route to hard-fought second place finish.

The GasGas Tech3 rider built on his top three performance in the Sprint Race at Circuit of The Americas with a pulsating performance that once more belied his novice status as he spent several stints out in the lead for the first time.

Getting the hole-shot off the line from second on the grid, Acosta soaked up substantial pressure from Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez over the first-half of the race, regularly responding to their attempts to pass by then coming back at them with more overtakes.

While his hopes of a superb victory was ultimately dashed when a charging Maverick Vinales powered through with seven laps to go, Acosta held his nerve to take second place at the flag for another new personal best and Tech 3 Racing’s best MotoGP result since 2020.

“You cannot imagine how much I enjoyed it,” he beamed afterwards. 

“From the days in Moto3, I don’t normally like that, having [hard] overtakes, sliding, touches. But it was a super nice race, until Vinales came through - he was like a rocket! 

“This morning in the warm up, we decided to go with medium, and then in the race, when I led, I was trying to manage my tyres, not to make a stupid mistake or anything crazy. 

“I am also really happy to have been able to fight with the top guys like Marc Marquez, I am learning a lot from him and I enjoyed being with him until he crashed.”

Justifying KTM’s faith in promoting the 2023 Moto2 World Champion into a seat, Acosta took the time to praise both the Austrian manufacturer and the Tech 3 Racing team for its support in what has been a fast ascent through the ranks.

“I am super grateful to be with Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 because they believe in me so hard, but also the people around me and Pierer Mobility because they are giving everything to provide me with the best package possible.  It was a great weekend, thanks everyone."