Of course, a majority of French enthusiasts are certainly disappointed at the end of Johann Zarco's race at Assen. Finishing 14th after starting from pole position is obviously not a result that will delight anyone, starting with team manager Hervé Poncharal.
Anybody ? Think again !
Beyond the three possible errors committed, not necessarily by him, moreover, (clash with Rossi, bet on changing bikes, speed in the pit lane), Johann Zarco knows how to discern the positive of this day thanks, without doubt, the mentality of a champion.
There is no doubt in his words, and it goes without saying that the French driver is impatient to do battle again in a few days... Us too!
Did you say “champion mentality”?
Johann zarco, 14th, 6th in the Championship with 77 points: “Generally speaking, I have to say that today was actually a positive day. I had a really good start from pole position, when it was dry at the start, and I took the lead, which was a great feeling. Nobody overtook me and I did the best I could by driving with my marks. After that I started fighting with the other drivers and we changed places. At two places on the circuit, I struggled a lot compared to them, but nevertheless I managed to stay in the group for a while. But then it rained. Honestly, at this point I was worried about not falling because we are always on the limit anyway, but when we see the rain it can be worrying. I could no longer attack with the slick tires, so I made the decision to change bikes. In the end, it didn't rain enough to make a difference anymore, I couldn't continue with my bike in the dry. This is part of the game, and of course we made a few mistakes, including the ride through penalty, but I didn't lose that much position. I mean it was a positive Sunday because I was competitive at the start and in the dry conditions, plus I was able to stay with the leaders and fight for the podium. This is the goal, so we just have to build everything gradually to reach it, but we are close. »
Hervé Poncharal : “This weekend ended disappointingly, but we are learning and we will be back stronger in Germany. The performances on Saturday were great and we all know that Johann got an incredible pole position, and Jonas got his best qualifying result so far. However, there was always the possibility of tricky weather with drivers not having much dry track time this weekend, so I was a little nervous on the grid. Our guys decided to go with both soft tires, the front as well as the rear, and Johann had an incredible first half of the Grand Prix. He had a little contact with Valentino, which cost him some time, but from that point on he hung on to fourth position. Johann told me that when the first drops of rain fell, it bothered him more than the guys in the lead and he couldn't keep up with their pace. So, he took the gamble of changing bikes, in case there was a big downpour like the one during the warm up, but, unfortunately, this did not happen. It's a disappointing end to the day, but Johann said we will learn from being in the lead, and besides, we have to remember that he is still a beginner and we are stronger now than when we got here . As for Jonas, I'm disappointed because we were expecting a strong race from him. We know he's really fast here, but he got knocked off the track and then maybe he was a little too impatient to get back up the field. It's a shame, because we believe he could have easily finished in the top ten because the laps he did were very fast. However, as with Johann, it's his first season and he's learning, so we have to stay calm. The good news is that next week's race is Jonas' home Grand Prix, which is very important for him, and we are looking forward to FP1 on Friday at the Sachsenring. »
#DutchGP MotoGP: Race Ranking
1. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 41m 41.149s
2. Danilo Petrucci ITA Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP17) 41m 41.212s
3. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 41m 46.350s
4. Cal Crutchlow GBR LCR Honda (RC213V) 41m 46.392s
5. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 41m 46.476s
6. Jack Miller AUS Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 42m 4.539s
7. Karel Abraham CZE Pull&Bear Aspar Team (Desmosedici GP15) 42m 18.131s
8. Loris Baz FRA Reale Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP15) 42m 18.207s
9. Andrea Iannone ITA Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 42m 18.315s
10. Aleix Espargaro ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 42m 43.078s
11. Pol Espargaro ESP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 42m 50.533s
12. Tito Rabat ESP Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 42m 51.270s
13. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 42m 51.493s
14. Johann Zarco FRA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* 43m 16.804s
15. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) +1 lap
16. Hector Barbera ESP Reale Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP16) +1 lap
17. Alex Rins ESP Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR)* +1 lap
Scott Redding GBR Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP16) DNF
Alvaro Bautista ESP Pull&Bear Aspar Team (Desmosedici GP16) DNF
Bradley Smith GBR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) DNF
Maverick Viñales ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) DNF
Jonas Folger GER Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* DNF
Sam Lowes GBR Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP)* DNF
