The Japanese MotoGP Grand Prix was clearly a disappointment for Johann Zarco , who leaves with only 3 hard-earned points from the Sprint.
The weekend at the Motegi circuit had started well for the CASTROL Honda LCR rider, who qualified directly for Q2, as he has every time since his return to Aragon.
Having qualified 10th, he benefited from the incident at the start of the Sprint to cross the finish line in 7th position.
But during the extended warm-up, number 5 suffered his 3rd crash of the Japanese event, and was penalized with two long laps for restarting his Honda without being in the safety lane.
His race already compromised, he suffered a fourth and final fall, leaving a somewhat bitter taste to this Japanese stage before heading to Indonesia.
After the race, he remains 17th in the championship with 48 points, and spoke to the French press on site to analyze what he considers to be a certain limit reached.
As is our custom , we reproduce his words here in full without any formatting, even though this time they are not translated from English.
Johann zarco "It was a nice feeling at the start of the race, to still have good aggression, and the means to overtake. So, yes, control of the bike: I fight, I'm there, I overtake when necessary, a certain selection and I try to ride as well as possible."
But then, getting behind Viñales, Cruise Control: the bike, there was nothing I could do except make a mistake! So I tried to stay as close as possible, because he tended to drift wide, especially on turn 10, but each time I was too far back to try and pass. But I wasn't far enough back either for the bike to... perhaps to react better, because in fact at that moment the tire started to rise in temperature, without being in an extreme zone but I think that played a part.
And at one point, he makes another small mistake, so I'm really close to him and I'm doing my best between the 9 and 10 marks to stay near him, knowing he's going to move away, and indeed he does move away a little. And just as I'm about to commit to saying "I'm trying to keep it short"I lost the front end.
So I wasn't expecting that, and it pissed me off because there were four crashes this weekend, three of which involved losing the front end: one on the brakes, and two actually at the moment the motorcycle was supposed to turn.
And I think that's the difficulty: we've gained in braking, we've gained in acceleration, but we've lost too much in turning.
And I suffer from it too much because suddenly I can't fully utilize my abilities and really enjoy myself on the motorcycle.
It's interesting to see where she can find her form, but there's a real limit, and it was tough this weekend.
(I.e. What you're describing, is that something that was developed while you weren't there and that you're only now discovering on some rather difficult circuits?
“No, that’s the real DNA of this year’s bike, I still think. After that I unlocked a couple of things in Austin, which I tried to repeat even when I arrived in Europe, but no, I haven’t managed to repeat it well yet, even though there was a good time at Le Mans, finishing first in Practice.
But in my opinion, this zone is too narrow to be able to keep a small margin during the race, because you can't drive with zero margin.
When you see Marc win, regardless of the driver he is, and I think that it is really the best of all and for a long time, but it has a certain margin at some point. »
I'm going to come back to your penalty: have you forgotten the new rule?
"Yes, I forgot! In my head, when they told me 'go to Race Direction', it was because I was going the wrong way.
They told me, "No, it wasn't even that, it's just that you're not allowed to restart it." He had given me the warning in Austin; it was race time.
Like I said, what's really frustrating isn't the steering problem. Actually, because it's going uphill, that's why I pick up the motorcycle; it's slightly tilted the other way, but the motorcycle is moving while I'm still on the ground, and when I straighten it, it stops!
It happened to me in Austin today during the warm-up, and even in the race, right now I'm trying to keep it running, running, running…
I straighten it up and it stops: this is a little piece of information to pass on to Honda, to make sure that in the race it doesn't stall on a small fall like that, every time it straightens up.
So it's a shame because, well, that got me penalized.
Because the warm-up was tricky too: it was ten minutes longer, you had to change bikes, you had to try the hard tire. That's also why I did everything I could to say "I'm bringing the motorcycle back"I couldn't afford to crash in the warm-up. It had happened: we do everything to come back, and I got the penalty. »
🎤 If the engine doesn't stall, you have the right to restart, even if the marshals help you to pick it up?
"Yes, I think so, yes. Yes, yes, it mustn't stall."
(I.e. What do you think of this title fight? There are only two points between Marquez and Martin after 16 Grands Prix. How do you explain that?
"For me, Martin, even for him, it was a surprise, because..."in my opinion He didn't start the year like that, because he'd been through a lot, and I don't think he was a favorite for a title in his mind, no.
But as a result, for him, it's almost this feeling of "no pressure", where everything is to be gained.
In this case, Bez has more pressure because he would be writing the history, the brand, all that: I think that's why it's heavier for him.
As for Marc, in my opinion, he has an extraordinary management style!
It's true that in races the Aprilias still have better potential than the Ducati in pure speed, but Marc knows how to manage, you know!
Except in Indonesia where I think Martin will have the advantage, but then there are other races where Marc will be strong in any case.
So I like Marc: I find it beautiful to see him manage so well and remain so strong when necessary.
And after Martin, if he stays focused like he is, if he doesn't let up, he'll be very strong too because he's fast.
Is this an advantage for Marc?
"I think so, yes, I see an advantage over Marc."
Marquez and you, you didn't go karting this morning: you're the two drivers who were fed up with everything that's being asked of you, is that the common point?
"Yes, I was in Race Direction when they got on the karts. But yes, because I had planned not to do the Hero Walk, because my neck hurt, but it's too much: they forget what we're supposed to do!"
Results of the MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi:
Ranking credit: motogp.com
MotoGP Japan Johann Zarco MotoGP Japan Johann Zarco MotoGP Japan Johann Zarco
