On this Sunday, October 18, Johann zarco answered questions from journalists from the Motorland Aragón circuit at the end of the Aragon MotoGP Grand Prix.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the French pilot.
As usual, we report here the words of Johann zarco without the slightest formatting, even if the first part is translated from English (vouvoiement).
Johann zarco : " A good race today! A good day because I had a nice top 10 and I had good pace during the race. I almost fought for seventh place and I really enjoyed it because I had a lot more control than in almost all the previous races. Being strong enough when braking to control the bike well is really what I was missing in the dry. As I have said many times, I have certain advantages in the corners that I cannot use when I start too far away, but here I was very far and I was able to control these advantages and manage the bike in a different way. And with the right temperatures it worked well, so I'm very happy with that. I think I also learned a lot and I hope it will be useful for next week. So I am very happy! I didn't feel good on Saturday because of the loss of confidence and not really knowing how to get the feeling back, but ultimately with good conditions and good concentration before the race, I achieved better than I could have hoped for. So very happy! »
How far do you think you can progress with the Ducati next week?
« The Ducati isn't clearly in the performance zone it could be, but we don't end up that far away. This implies that if we find some improvements then we can really enjoy the race and good position in the top 5. Next week it will be cold in the morning but a little better in the afternoon. Today was perfect: No wind and I think it was 30° on the track. You feel it immediately on the bike because everything works better, and you can then ride in a way that I would describe as normal. But for me, this normal way of driving, I need it. Next week, if we have the same conditions, I don't expect everyone to race in 48s. You never know, but if the Ducatis often run small 49s, then I think the we can stay with the top 5. »
What did you control better on your bike with these higher temperatures?
« Especially the front. You feel that it was holding, so you can relax in the corner and once you relax the bike steers much better, whereas when you go through the corner a little tight, you create problems. And when it's cold or the temperature isn't right, if you relax, you fall. That's what blocked me. There, in the race, I was able to fight, and given this braking advantage, frankly, I was not bad at all. And when you control that, you start to enjoy it. »
How do you see next weekend? Can we hope for better conditions?
« A week later, I don't think the conditions are any better in the morning: When we get up with Jérôme, we sit on the balcony, and when we go out it looks like we're on our way to pick up our ski passes and do a little skiing (laughs). It’s truly mountain freshness… »
But apparently, the cold weather this weekend was a bit exceptional...
« No idea. As we rode well in this race, maybe we won't do FP1 and FP3: We will only do FP2 and FP4 (laughs)! »
How was your neck?
« Already, yesterday afternoon, much better, but I still had good aches this morning when I woke up, because I really hit my head when I took a dive in the gravel. But that's okay. It was really a big ache and it was very sensitive here (see photo), but Jérôme was able to resolve it. So no, I'm really happy! It feels good because I don't think I've ever had such a good race here in Aragon in MotoGP. Because even on the Yamaha, I don't think I ever finished nine seconds behind first: There was good pace! »
We see that the virus is progressing. Are you going home or are you staying on the circuit?
« I still have an apartment 30 km from here, so I have no plans to return. There are still 700 km, so even if I am able to do them in five hours, I don't want to (laughs). »
Aragón MotoGP Grand Prix standings:
Credit and ranking: MotoGP.com
