Johann Zarco will have animated this 2019 MotoGP season in his own way. At the very least, it will have demonstrated that the driver is indeed the centerpiece of this category of motor sports. We suspected it on the track side and against the clock, but we knew it less behind the scenes in the paddock. And yet, the Frenchman was able to impose his views after taking major risks in the management of his career. A journey on which his former boss Hervé Poncharal returned. Not only because the Cannes resident is one of his former residents, but also because his decision-making made him collateral damage…
Having had him on his team for two years, Hervé Poncharal knows what wood is made of Johann zarco. However, the boss of Tech3 has struggled to keep up with his compatriot this year and he doesn't hide it. An evaluation made with all respect, as he specifies with these preliminary remarks: “ we had two great years with Zarco in 2017 and 2018 », explains thus Hervé Poncharal, owner of the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team. “ I will always be grateful to him. We had great times together. He beat factory riders Valentino and Viñales with an old bike, as a rookie it's always a good feeling. It was great. And I will never forget the achievements he gave to our team »
These foundations laid, the tricolor boss gets to the heart of the matter: “ with KTM, I think it was not the right approach. But what can I say? He definitely didn't do it on purpose, it wasn't planned that way. It had nothing to do with me personally. But by leaving halfway through the contract, he made Brad Binder leave the Tech3 team for 2020. It would have been an incredibly interesting job for me to work with Brad. I appreciate the South African's skills. I was really looking forward to starting this collaboration. »
But Johann's decisions didn't just impact the project Brad Binder... " He hit and injured my driver Miguel Oliveira in the race for 10th or 11th place at Silverstone. At a time when we were really strong. Miguel had just won eighth place with the team in Austria. After the shoulder injury in England, the season was over for Miguel, so to speak. He could have finished the season right after this race, but we waited until November for shoulder surgery. »
« I feel sorry for Zarco. What choice did he have after the Valencia Grand Prix? He could have returned to Moto2. But why ? And then there was Avintia–Ducati. But when you've been a real Red Bull KTM factory rider, that can't be an opportunity... He had Red Bull as the main sponsor, he was a factory team member at KTM, there was a program of two years. He knew how quickly KTM drives development, and the progress made during the 2019 season was unequivocal »Assures Hervé Poncharal.
« Meanwhile, Dani Pedrosa has developed a new bike for 2020... How can you give up at a time when not even 25% of your contract term is over? I don't understand, unless you then become a real factory rider at Honda. Maybe it was worth it. But if you only have the choice between Moto2 and Avintia after this contract termination... But that's his life. I have nothing more to say » ends the tricolor on speedweek. We will recall that it is with Ducati that Johann zarco signed his lease, for a GP19 at Avintia followed by technicians from Borgo Panigale.
