It's a strange atmosphere that has reigned at KTM since Johann Zarco abandoned his RC16 in the pit before the end of this Dutch Grand Prix. Everything started well though, then things turned sour until returning to the box. Technical problem ? If so, the Mattighofen engineers are still looking…
Mike leitner, the boss on the field of the Orange tunics has difficulty explaining the return of his pilot Johann zarco home before the checkered flag drops. Quite simply because he doesn't know the reason. At least, he has no technical arguments to put forward on this abandonment. Which would therefore look like a throw in the towel on the part of the Frenchman.
If this were the case, it would be an additional incriminating document which would be added to the file of a Johann zarco who had already annoyed the managers of Mattighofen in Jerez by making rather crude comments about his motorcycle... Since then, he has been assigned the services of Jean Michel Bayle. Besides, what is his version? “ I don't know. He just came in and cut the bike off ».
This is not reassuring. Leitner declared on Speedweek: “ we haven't found anything on the bike yet. The bike appears to be problem free. “Johann had moved up to tenth. Then he fell in the rankings. The bike then started to move a lot and he decided to return, saying that it was difficult to ride. In fact he made the decision to return ».
Johann zarco made a good start to the race, reaching the top 10 after five laps. But after 15 rounds, zarco was only 14th, then he regressed to 18th and last place in the next round. A lap later, the Frenchman turned off his KTM RC16 in front of the pits. His teammate Pol Espargaro, with an injured wrist, finished the race in eleventh place. For the other two KTMs, Olive tree finished thirteenth and Syahrin fifteenth.
MotoGP Assen J3: classification
