We must admit, given his performances in Moto2, we were not expecting Jonas Folger to such a celebration from his first contact with MotoGP. To believe that this Yamaha is definitely the best on the elite starting grid.
But the facts are there: the German with two victories in three seasons spent in Moto2, surprised Valencia, surprised in Malaysia and even impressed at Phillip Island. Three different tracks on which he shone during this off-season which will end where the competition will begin: in Qatar.
23 years old, Jonas Folger will have as a teammate at Tech3 the double Moto2 World Champion and Frenchman Johann zarco. With him and in the company ofalex rins as well as Sam Lowes, he will be the guest of the beginners' ball from which he will have to emerge as valedictorian to clearly mark his territory. Number 94 was not the one that the prognosticators would have drawn initially. But since the winter tests, the hill has gone up.
A new responsibility that does not scare Folger. He is the first to say it: he fears no one. The German already has the bit in his teeth: “ I trained harder and more often with an emphasis on strength training. I also tried to spend as much time as possible on a motorcycle during the winter » he explains on MotoGP.com. His goal ? “ Without a doubt that of being the fastest rookie. Being consistent is another and perhaps achieving some surprise results during the 2017 season. ».
And to be clear, he assures: “ I'm not afraid of anyone. These are drivers for whom I have a lot of respect, but respect and fear are two different things. We'll see how the drivers perform in the race after the first meeting, but I expect a fair competition ».
