When envisioning the landlocked mountains of Austria, shark attacks are rarely the first thing that comes to mind. Yet, we were surprised to see the ‘Shark’ dominate the competition at the Red Bull Ring this week, completely overwhelming Jorge Martin.
The ‘Shark’ refers to Pedro Acosta riding the distinctive KTM. He dominated Friday’s practice, made critical errors during Saturday’s sprint, but returned today to secure KTM’s first dry-track victory in five years. How did he achieve this?
Mat and Peter offer some theories. Sharks are evolutionarily stable, having found a successful formula long ago. In this context, it is not about sensory abilities or teeth, but rather an old-school racing bike that allows for aggressive front-end entry into corners. Combined with the track’s nature, this might be the first time Acosta has had equal machinery.
We certainly hope to see this more often.
Meanwhile, Jorge Martin has overtaken Marquez in the championship standings, bringing serious competitiveness to the upcoming races. These are indeed exciting times.
Watch out for blood in the water, or we might need a bigger boat… bike.
If there was ever a time to quote Spielberg, it would be here at this track.
