In these times of confinement, Johann Zarco has become a gardener and musician in a newly adopted zenitude and claimed in his new helmet decoration. A philosophy highlighting a fatalism and resilience that perfectly match to overcome this very special period. A test imposed by the unpleasant surprise of a coronavirus wanting to wipe away the past without revealing anything about the future. The Frenchman, now an Avintia Ducati rider, spoke to the essentials of GP One, with some interesting remarks…
Johann zarco is like all his fellow pilots. He expects what will happen in the coming months which does not guarantee that a 2020 season will finally be launched: “ This is a special time for all of us. I am obviously confined to the house even if I have the chance to devote myself to the garden. I don't deny that I miss the bike, although I fear that it will still take a long time before I get back on the track ».
Heartbreaking and without remedy, since the Frenchman is not an ace with the controller. He is therefore not impatient to be of a virtual race which is flourishing, even if this moment could still come… “ Dorna invited me to participate in the virtual race on Sunday, but I preferred to postpone it because I tried to turn and was too slow. I prefer to learn and be ready later, avoiding poor performance »
For these born competitors, the main thing is not to participate... However, in 2019, the double Moto2 World Champion put all his energy into being on the starting grid after his breakup with KTM. But this was real life: “ The idea of retirement never crossed my mind. On the contrary, the priority was to understand how not to lose everything. » The lifeline, we remember, came from the LCR team, orphan of Nakagami party to have surgery on a shoulder: “ the Honda experience certainly introduced me to another motorcycle. So I thank Cecchinello for making me forget the difficulties of 2019. »
And this Honda, Johann zarco still has it in mind… “ Honda and Yamaha have a Japanese soul, they are much more similar than you think, while for European manufacturers it is different. I say this because with Ducati I expected to find sensations closer to Honda, but that was not the case. But I can say that Honda is a motorcycle that conveys passion and that touches my heart »
A tribute to the Tokyo firm which, however, did not retain him as a teammate Marc Márquez. But Johann zarco feels no resentment: “ it's part of the game and it makes sense that they took Álex, because he is the brother of the strongest rider in the world and won Moto2. For business and communication, it was certainly the choice to make. It's obviously a shame, because going from KTM to Honda in one year would have been interesting. »
That being said, the other question is that of having let go of the prey Yamaha for the shadow KTM…And it remains without answer, or almost… “ The decisions weren't always mine, also because I had a manager managing me at the time. That said, I don't know why we haven't been able to come to an agreement with Yamaha and have opportunities with them yet. In addition to the continuation with Yamaha, I also mention the offer from Honda. »
But what is done is done : " I have to say that I suffered for a year, but I grew as a man and now I feel fresh, because I continue to cultivate the dream of winning in MotoGP. So I think I'm in a moment of personal rebirth, also because I'm not old, let alone finished " finished John Zarco.
