MotoGP Johann Zarco: “They want me to do the virtual race, but…”

Johann Zarco kills time as best he can in his house and reveals a little more about his daily life as a confined pilot. We know the Frenchman is a little offbeat in his approach to life and his sporting career compared to all of his colleagues, and these last elements confirm a unique personality. The double Moto2 World Champion also talks about the phenomenon of virtual racing which will experience a second episode on April 12 with the Red Bull Ring as a backdrop. An assessment which explains why Valentino Rossi is so shy about getting involved…

Johann zarco hopes that this time of confinement imposed by a devastating coronavirus will penalize him less than the others. The tricolor has already mentioned that he knew this type of uncertainty about the resumption of competition since his chaotic course in 2019, marked by the termination of his contract KTM who threw him from the top of MotoGP without a net. He still managed to cling to the branches with a pole to Honda LCR before stabilizing and resuming its rise thanks to an agreement with Ducati and a place in the team Avintia.

Living with the uncertainty of what tomorrow will bring, he is therefore accustomed to it. A moral strength that others perhaps do not have… “ I have to tell myself that it can put us back on an equal footing compared to the others, we'll see... Perhaps this time without a motorbike will cause them more inconveniences than it did for me who experienced periods of a little strange lately? We're not going to say that I'm used to it, but perhaps less shocked. Maybe this can work to my advantage » declares the Frenchman. A fixed idea that allows him to keep his spirits up.

That being said, he could find his colleagues sitting on his sofa, in front of his TV, and thus participate in the virtual race, with a controller in his hands... An event which tends to gain momentum since, after the game of Mugello between ten pilots, a second round will take place on April 12 at the Red Bull Ring. SO ? Well, it’s not won… Johann zarco explain why : " maybe I should practice more on the MotoGP game on Playstation! I took one for the occasion and I see that I am quite behind my opponents… »

« They want me to take part in this virtual race… I tell them I’m not ready! » admits the tricolor. “ I don't want to be 10 seconds away from others. If I want to take my bike, my number and develop my avatar to become competitive, I have to block hours on the screen and I feel like I'm wasting my days. Even with a competitive bike, I still need a little practice to be correct. If I also have to spend a week on the console to develop the bike... »

Johann zarco therefore has no predisposition in the matter and although this is only virtual, he does not want to be crushed by his adversaries... An approach through which we can better decode the absence, also, of A Valentino Rossi…That being said, driver values Avintia Ducati are elsewhere, and more down to earth, literally and figuratively! “ I don't like spending my time in front of my TV. I'm more into physical training and gardening. As soon as you start cutting olive trees and maintaining the property, it quickly takes up a lot of time... But it remains a great occupation because it is contact with nature, reality, and I don't have the I feel like I'm wasting my time. »

He ends his interview with Les Echos recalling his passion for music: “ I have a piano and a guitar. To develop technical and even mental skills, to learn things, it's an activity that I enjoy. On the piano, I try to do little jazz pieces and I quickly get stuck on it for over an hour.. » That's what it's called ending on a good note.