Technician at Suter, and although very busy with the new Swiss Moto2 which made its debut at Losail, Didier nonetheless found the time to be amazed like everyone else (and not just the French) by the incredible start to Johann's race.
How do you view Johann Zarco's feat, both on a sporting and emotional level?
“It’s hard to find words!” We can't do better. He arrived with his two unrivaled Moto2 World Champion titles, and he and Laurent Fellon surprised everyone. Their unique method works and it pays. Johann made real Zarco by building this all winter. He and Tech 3 prepared their move well, and in what way! He worked during the offseason, didn't crash, and on the big day he was ready.
“He’s not finished, but that’s life. The track was very tricky and favored this type of incident. He said he had relaxed, which was normal because in front of such drivers it requires an extraordinary effort. It takes phenomenal nerves and ability to concentrate. They are exceptional beings from that point of view. You can't last 20 laps at such a pace (including the best time in the race) and he needed to relax a little so as not to make an excessive mistake. What he did was extraordinary, no one could have dreamed of it. It didn't happen, but like he said, it's not that bad, there will be more.
“It is very sharp, without being fragile. The Zarco-Fellon method, which has suffered some mockery in the past, is bearing fruit. Sportingly, he has a very good bike in a well-established and united team. I think we're well on our way to seeing some really interesting things.
Maverick Vinales confirmed that not only did he go fast on a lap (almost unbeatable), but he also knew how to manage a race to perfection. Is this a surprise for you? Do you expect this to happen almost every race?
“It’s no surprise that Vinales knows how to run a race. These guys are champions who have formatted all this in their heads well before the Grand Prix. It's a given, which they don't have to manage during the race. It's like in all professions, the day when you have to apply your knowledge, it's something completely normal. They know how to concentrate at a given moment to give the best of themselves.
“Vinales has proven for a long time that he can go fast on any bike. He is now in the best team with the best bike at the moment. Yamaha will be beaten one day because its competitors are working hard. They can take more risks, and one day the other will manage to overtake the one in front.
“Maverick has exceptional support from the Japanese at Yamaha who do efficient and rational work, discreetly, without showing off. He has Jorge Lorenzo's team, apart from his faithful mechanic Juan Llansa Hernandez who followed him to Ducati. We add a champion to all that, and what better can we expect? Nothing. People like Vinales have been champions in their minds for over a decade, even if they haven't always had the right bike at the right time to prove it.
How did the first Grand Prix of the new Suter Moto 2 go?
“It didn't really go the way we wanted because none of them finished in the top 10, which wasn't really in the plan. During winter testing, we saw that three of the four drivers could be in the top 10, because Marcel Schrotter was a little behind. Sandro Cortese was coming out of a serious operation this winter and he was not able to train as he would have liked. After the race, he admitted that he did not have sufficient physique.
“Danny Kent had the potential, with the speed and pace, and he was very happy with the bike. But in the race he did not have the optimum settings. Dominique Aegerter had shown things this winter. Not in pure speed, because it's not his style to set times during the off-season, but he was solid in terms of pace and tire management. Unfortunately Qatar is not a circuit he likes and he humbly acknowledges this. So we are disappointed not to have finished in the top 10, but reassured because the riders really like the bike. Everyone tells us that there are ways to do much better. »
Photos © Yamaha, Suter, Tech 3
