It was a Sunday to forget for Pedro Acosta at Assen. The Spaniard battled hard in the early stages of the race, staying right on the heels of the group fighting for the top five, but unfortunately he was forced to throw in the towel.
It was a tough blow for the KTM rider, who was suffering from compartment syndrome. The Spaniard will undergo surgery in the coming days to resolve the issue and return in time for the German Grand Prix, scheduled for the second weekend of July.
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t feel three fingers on my hands anymore,” he said. “On some tracks it’s worse, on others better, but yesterday I was already struggling by the third lap. Today, however, riding behind Marc, there were times I had to ease off the brakes just to avoid crashing into him, because I couldn’t tell how much feeling I still had in my hand. Unfortunately, I’m suffering from compartment syndrome; on Tuesday, I’ll undergo surgery to try to resolve the issue. Apparently, there’s an issue with my carpal tunnel that’s preventing me from having the necessary sensitivity.”
This GP, though, wasn’t a total disaster...
“No, it wasn’t a total disaster, but I think a sixth-place finish was possible today. However, when you start locking up the front in the corners, it’s better to stop, have surgery, and then come back. If all goes well, I’ll be at the Sachsenring.”
How long have you been dealing with this problem?
“For about a year. If you remember, it all started at Motegi last year. On one occasion, I completely lost feeling and the brake lever almost slipped out of my fingers. Today was probably the worst case I’ve ever had. The initial plan was to have surgery after the Sachsenring, but now I think it’s better to do it right away.”
Is there anything positive to take away from this weekend?
“Nothing! Between the technical issues we had on Saturday and this problem with my hand, it’s a weekend to forget.”
Was the battle with Marquez fun?
“No, this time it was really tough. I was riding mostly using my brain, trying to adapt to how much I could brake. On the last lap, I also had another critical moment. It’s really strange when you don’t know how much force you can apply to the brake. That’s why I made several mistakes under braking.”
How exhausting was this GP?
“When my hand started to go numb, I couldn’t feel my fingers anymore and didn’t even know where the brake lever was. After four mistakes, I thought there were six or seven laps left; when I saw there were still sixteen to go, I thought, ‘This can’t be.’ When I locked up the front twice at the same spot where Bezzecchi crashed, I realized it wasn’t worth risking everything for a sixth-place finish.”
How much did your physical issue affect the season?
“It depends a lot on the tracks. On some, it bothers me; on others, less so; and on still others, hardly at all. Since we changed the fairing, the bike has better cornering but also moves around more on the straights, so it forces me to ride differently, and the problem has become more frequent. At the Brno test, it went pretty well. In practice, I didn’t have any particular problems; it flared up during the Sprint race, but I managed to finish the race. In the end, you keep putting off finding a solution, but today, when I was behind Marc and locked up the front twice in Turn 15, I realized it wasn’t worth continuing to take risks.”
Do you think you’ll recover in time for Germany?
“Yes. After all, it’s a minor procedure—just a few stitches. If everything goes well, I’ll be able to have the stitches removed and race at the Sachsenring.”
The Sachsenring is a track with a lot of acceleration out of corners: could that help you?
“Maybe yes, maybe no. It’s all very variable. In some corners, the problem is less noticeable; in others, it’s more pronounced. If the bike moves around a lot, the discomfort increases; if it’s more stable, it decreases. That’s exactly why I’d rather resolve the problem once and for all and stop thinking about it.”
Have you ever been so affected by this during a race before?
“Something similar happened to me in Hungary, but as the laps went by, the situation improved. This isn’t an excuse, let’s be clear. But when the bike is more stable, I can relax my arm more, and the nerve is affected less. When, on the other hand, I’m forced to ride while constantly tense, the problem becomes much more pronounced.”
What was the positive takeaway from Sunday?
“For 14 laps, my pace was very close to that of the Ducatis. When my hand started to go numb, the mistakes began. I think we could have stayed with Pecco, Marc, and Alex’s group until the end. Considering the weekend we had, that wouldn’t have been bad at all.”