The ZF Grand Prix adventure began like a road movie, with two pale-skinned men parking the truck in a paddock at three in the morning, after having driven 1 km in the rain, and with nothing to eat in the glove compartment otherwise half of an old packet of biscuits. And the next day, we had to settle into the pit and prepare for the first free practice session at 000 a.m. Good night !
And the baby bird became an eagle, the corporal became Bonaparte. Displaying his impressive panache, he took off at the Qatar GP in front of stunned viewers around the world, preceding Valentino Rossi, Maverick Vinales, Andrea Iannone and all the others. A vision that French motorcycle racing fans will not soon forget.
Behind Johann Zarco, or more precisely at his side, there is Laurent Fellon, the “F” of “ZF”. Laurent is the manager, the friend, the advisor, the confidant, the support, the morale booster, the technician (do not cross out the unnecessary entry, there is none). How did Fellon experience Johann's extraordinary start to the race in Qatar?
“I experienced it being happy that Johann Zarco was in the lead, that he had a great race, that he had fun, that he showed that he was very strong and that he took the right decisions at the right time, when necessary.
“Afterwards…what happened happened, but he did what he had to do.
Johann modestly gives the Yamaha a lot of credit for its performance, but he wasn't the only one on an M1. How was he able to adapt his style so quickly to this machine, its power, its brakes, its electronics and the Michelins?
“Johann is right to say that the Yamaha is very good, because the qualities of this machine allow it to be good on the bike. He's not too lost, if you like. This is why Johann is right to ride a Yamaha. It's the best bike to win races, as it demonstrates. Vinales comes from Suzuki which has a very good bike, the most homogeneous after the Yamaha. He climbs onto the M1 and wins the first Grand Prix having been at the head of all the tests of the off-season. The MotoGP Yamaha is really very homogeneous, like its road bikes.
Were Yamaha Racing management impressed by Johann’s performance? What did they tell you?
“You have to ask Hervé (Poncharal) the question. He is the boss of the team who is in contact with the managers above.
" I think so. The important thing is that Hervé has good benefits and even more support from Yamaha. It allows you to highlight the team, which is important. If the team is highlighted, it will also help Johann.
In which areas can Johann still improve?
“Johann can progress in his adaptation to the category, like when he started in Moto2. He already knows how to drive and win races. We will work on the important points of the category, such as very impressive acceleration. Also on the vision of the brain because it happens more quickly. We're going to do adequate training for that. He already started training in a certain way before Qatar, in order to quickly get into action. And Johann quickly gets into action. There are small things to improve. He's going to get there.
On April 10, 2009, when Johann finished twentieth in his first Grand Prix free practice session, in 125 in Qatar, if we had told you then that eight years later he would be in the lead ahead of Valentino Rossi and the others in MotoGP , would you have believed it?
“Don’t you know the journey we’ve taken since the beginning? If I hadn't believed in Johann Zarco, do you think we would have come to this? I'm sending you the question backwards.
What do you mean exactly ?
“You're talking to me about 2009, but in 2010, 2011, we had to bring the money to Ajo, and then we had to train with Moto2, with kilometers in a truck. Don't you think that in 2009 I thought Zarco was good?
It wasn't by chance, is that what you mean?
“I believed in Johann Zarco. Every driver can be good if we do everything right around him at the mental level, at the training level. And all the partners who allowed us to get here, we must not forget them. If I hadn't believed in it, I wouldn't have done all that. For a long time, from the beginning, I believed in Johann Zarco.
Did Sunday's feat make you revise your goals upwards? What are they now?
“With Johann’s potential, modestly, we can finish in the top six. And that would be fabulous, for a first year. You can score big points even if the step is high. We could have settled for eighth or even seventh place, but now Johann can be among the top six in almost every race. To be in the top six, to make a splash from time to time like in Qatar, and to progress crescendo. He will know the bike better and better, will feel better and better with it, so why not dream of being on the highest step, of making podiums? This will be our goal.
“He is capable of it. »
Photos © Tech3 and ZF Grand Prix
