On the opening day of the Italian Grand Prix, LCR Honda's Johann Zarco made a 1,4 second improvement on his lap time. However, this was not enough to move past 20th place, highlighting the challenges facing the French rider on his Honda.
The first free practice session at Mugello was particularly difficult for zarco. Only Lorenzo Savadori, test pilot and wild card ofAprilia, was slower on the Tuscan circuit. Despite the power of his Honda RC213V, which reached 357 km/h and occupied fifth place in terms of maximum speed, zarco struggled to move up the rankings. However, true to his professionalism, he kept his cool and improved his time by almost 1,4 seconds in the afternoon, gaining three positions.
Johann zarco remains lucid about the situation: “ I admit that I hoped for a little more from this day. We have carried out tests here, but we have not been able to implement their results in a positive way. The situation therefore remains unchanged for the moment. This applies to me and other Honda riders. It is a long and tedious process and therefore the steps to follow are very small. » With just nine points and 19th place in the championship after six events, he recognizes the ongoing challenges.
Johann Zarco: “ I also have trouble being patient. »
Despite the disappointing results, zarco keeps a positive outlook: “ I also have trouble being patient. But we understood the situation and I succeeded – even if the results were not satisfactory – to stay calm and do our job with the team »
On the sidelines of the MotoGP competition, Johann zarco confirmed its participation in the classic 8 hours from Suzuka this year, combining this race with a week of vacation. “ I guess I will get a very good superbike from Honda “, he joked. As for a possible career in endurance, zarco, resident of Andorra, is not closed to the idea: “ As long as I'm racing MotoGP, 24-hour classics are out of the question. But after that, I definitely want to take part in one of the big races at Le Mans or Le Castellet. I am French, the calls of long distance races are in my soul »
Johann zarco continues to show its resilience and professionalism despite constant challenges with Honda. His future ambitions demonstrate his passion for racing and his desire to continue to surpass himself, whatever the format of the competition.
MotoGP, Italy J1,: classification
Credit classification motogp.com