Johann Zarco wants to finish tenth in the championship, in addition to remaining the best Honda rider, and the competition will be tough in Valencia.
Johann zarco has had a difficult second half of the season, but has the opportunity to finish on a positive note. Indeed, after 12 challenging Grands Prix, which notably saw him finish with 10 DNFs, he began to turn things around in Malaysia before this was confirmed in Portugal last weekend. However, and despite his sixth-place qualifying position, He was unable to gain race pace. and finished seventh and ninth.
So, for this final Grand Prix of the season, the French rider is eager to believe, especially since he has a dual objective in mind. Currently 12th in the championship, just two points off the top 10, he will have to battle against Raúl Fernández and Brad Binder to secure that symbolic position. In doing so, he can also finish as the top Honda rider, with Luca Marini 11 points behind him.
As we approach this final weekend of racing, zarco acknowledges that this double challenge is welcome to maintain motivation after a season longer than ever. "The goal for Valencia is to finish in the top ten of the championship. That would be fantastic. And also to remain the best Honda rider, which was a goal at the start of the year.", did he declare.
“I had announced that if we rode well we could be among the top ten in every race, and I think I was right because it was clearly possible. However, I didn't always manage it; I had some poor performances in the second half of the year and a loss of confidence. I regained my confidence in Malaysia; I was less afraid of crashing the bike, and that showed in Portugal. I had a good race, but I lacked performance and lost positions at the end.”
“We’ll see how I manage the weekend to perform well until the end and at least win my challenge for a top-ten finish against Binder and Fernández. We’re only two points apart, and I think that helps to give that final push, because after 22 Grands Prix, you can feel that you’re eager for it to be over. I like having a kind of competition, a challenge. Binder surprised me; he was very good in Portugal, and that earned him quite a few points.”he said.
“It’s been two years since we last rode here, but I’m not thinking about it because we all know it so well that we’ll be up to speed in three laps. The bike has evolved in the last two years, so we just need to find the right balance to get the most out of it. The weather will be good, so we’re likely to set some great lap times.”
