WATCH: Pedro Acosta faces early crash in the first free practice of Indonesian MotoGP

Pedro Acosta faced a challenging start to the first free practice session of the Indonesian MotoGP at the Mandalika Circuit, with an early crash at Turn 1 disrupting his momentum. The young Tech3 GASGAS rider, who had been setting an impressive pace, fell off after losing control at the front, though he quickly got up and appeared to be uninjured.

A Promising Start

The first half of the free practice session had initially looked promising for Pedro Acosta. Most riders, including Acosta, opted for medium rear tyres to begin with, focusing on race runs before ramping up the pace with time attacks. 

As the early laps unfolded, Acosta’s speed stood out. After his first series of laps, he clocked a time of 1m31.014s, putting him among the frontrunners. His pace kept improving, and he soon became the fastest rider on the track with a 1m31.700s. However, Jorge Martin of Prima Pramac Racing was the first to set the pace, recording a 1m33.023s before Acosta briefly claimed the top spot.

The Crash at Turn 1

Acosta's promising performance was halted when he lost control of his bike at Turn 1, crashing out during the session. Despite the fall, the young rider walked away unharmed, showing no signs of injury. Though he attempted to save the crash, the front tyre gave way, causing the fall. His crash cost him valuable time, and he quickly lost the top spot to Franco Morbidelli, who posted a time of 1m30.935s to overtake Acosta.

Here is the video: 

In the gravel after setting the fastest time 🤯@37_pedroacosta tips it into T1 after trying his best to save it 💥#IndonesianGP 🇮🇩 pic.twitter.com/SeAE4gfPxe

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) September 27, 2024

The incident allowed other riders to move up the rankings as well, with Marc Marquez pulling off a spectacular save at Turn 10, leaving his crew chief, Frankie Carchedi, under immense pressure as the session unfolded.

After Acosta’s crash, the leaderboard began to shift. With just over half an hour into the session, the top 10 riders were constantly jostling for position. Acosta managed to retain a position among the frontrunners despite his crash, but he was overtaken by Franco Morbidelli and others.