/ Motosan
Johann Zarco will ride a 2019 Ducati next season with the Reale Avintia team. The Frenchman spoke about his new team and his objectives for 2020.
The Frenchman is taking advantage of the last weeks before the pre-season tests to continue working on his physical fitness between now and 2020. “ During the holidays, I did resistance tests, many hours of cycling. And in mid-January, we'll resume cardio exercises, like 500-meter runs and swimming. The month of January will go by very quickly: the objective is to do two six-day sessions for motorcycle riding. And the second week, every day on flat-track and also on supermoto. On February 1st, I leave for Sepang. Between Spain and Sepang I have two weeks left, during which I will do cardio and strengthen the muscles “, explained the rider in an exclusive interview with Moto Journal.
The French rider was set to miss this 2020 MotoGP season. However, Ducati worked so that zarco finally accepts the place of Karel Abraham in Avintia. The Italian factory has dispatched technicians to the satellite team. “ But in fact, this will benefit the entire Avintia team, including Rabat, because in total there are now five technicians in the team ».
On his less than encouraging comments about the Avintia team made at the Valencia Grand Prix, Johann comments: “ my fears are erased or at least they are mitigated because Ducati is directly involved. The team name is still Avintia, but that's not the case, we know. I spoke to Avintia mechanics and Rubén Xaus. I told them “Forgive me if I don’t say nice things” and they answered “No, you weren’t wrong. In the situation we found ourselves in, it was normal not to want us.”. And here the mechanics are 300% motivated. We all saw each other at the Ducati factory and the fact that they were there… It was good to see them “, declared the double Moto2 World Champion.
He also met his chief mechanic for next season, Mark Rigamonti . " Yes, I met him when I went to Ducati headquarters during the Christmas holidays. His name is Marco Rigamonti. He was head of Iannone's team at Ducati, then continued at Suzuki. He won with Iannone, Ducati knows it. What I like is that when Iannone left for Aprilia, he didn't follow him and he stayed in the Suzuki team. He is happy to be back at Ducati “, declared the Frenchman.
Looking ahead to next season, zarco wants to be in the lead again and find the good feelings from before. “ Firstly, I want to be back in the top ten. And then I want to be at least in the top seven. It's a reasonable thing. It's very possible if I'm good. And the goal is to be good. I always dreamed of a world title or fighting for the title. Therefore, I can't say that I want to be first in the top fifteen and then in the 12. I have material to be in the top ten. I think we are strong for the first seven ". Being in the spotlight will depend on its results. Ducati to move on to the official bike. “ It depends on the result. You have to get good results and beat the other Ducatis, to be on the list, think “Okay, this has potential…” », Explains the Frenchman.
In this interview, zarco assured that he does not regret having left KTM and that he is not afraid of this new beginning, even if he believes that we must continue to move forward. “ I dared some things and now I'm doing it again. And if I think I could have done better, it's not bad, it's the past. I am not afraid. That said, you have to be a little afraid, because without that you will never progress properly. It doesn't matter how much, but as soon as you find yourself in a situation that's too comfortable, you're a little dumber ", confessed Johann zarco.
It will also not work with Jean-Michel Bayle with whom he reinforced the psychological aspect in KTM, next season. “ No, I need to catch up first. Having the level to fight for the title, he could be there to support me, play with the details. But that is not our goal in the coming months. I have a lot of the work to do for me. It is not the moment. Whereas now, on my own, I can get back into the top seven. I am happy to continue in MotoGP. If next year I'm back on an official bike, then I can say that I won my bet ", Explain zarco.
