After a turbulent end to the season where he gambled everything on a Honda that only offered him three Grands Prix to get back on track, Johann Zarco can finally rest before taking charge again. Because he succeeded in his crazy challenge which made him leave the official KTM tunic for that of a freelancer within the Honda LCR satellite team before finally securing a handlebar for 2020 with the support of Ducati. The Frenchman can now relax in the Maldives, the place he chose to recharge his batteries. And he will need energy to prove himself essential in a transfer market which promises to be particularly competitive...
If there is one season that should not be missed in MotoGP, it is the one to come. The year 2020 actually marks the end of quite a few contracts in the paddock, which will need to be renewed or rewritten. Being absent from this movement would have been like a death sentence for a career that had hitherto been ascendant and notably marked by two world titles in Moto2. On " La Gazzetta dello Sport", Johann zarco looks back on this period which led him to take his destiny into his own hands by tearing up his contract KTM : " I needed a firm decision. At my age people don't give you many chances to catch up. Perhaps I could have insisted, but I was slowing down, I was afraid of ruining everything. »
He pursues : " it could be that I didn't handle the challenge well and got it wrong. But I know that in 2017 and 2018 I had a great rhythm and that in 2020 I will have the opportunity to try again. This year I went from fighting for the podium to 17th place. I was angry, I felt like I was losing my dream. »
« It was a great experience in the pursuit of what remains my goal: to become world champion. This year, the race towards that goal has slowed down. But now there is the Ducati opportunity. I am a fast rider and I am also confident that I can win in MotoGP » adds Johann.
Johann zarco has therefore learned, but he admits that lessons still need to be revised on occasion. So on his comments on the team Avintia during a Valencia Grand Prix which revealed this track for its future: “ Maybe I spoke too hastily, but this situation with Avintia couldn't be good. Then, with Paolo Ciabatti and Gigi Dall'Igna, I realized that things could change. There was not a single meeting, they trusted me and managed to convince me. During the Sepang test you will understand that Avintia will not be the same team as in 2019 »
In 2020, we will therefore have to shine with a GP19 while the others from the Ducati clan will have GP20s. But the Cannes resident will have its own imperatives: “ if I'm fast, support will increase. Ducati does this, we also saw it when Iannone at Pramac did better than Crutchlow who was official rider. I know I will have the equipment and the people to do well. It's up to me to decide. »
The main objective will be to stay in the top 10 from Qatar. There is no other way to imagine your future. “ It will be difficult, but if I want to fight for the title in the next 2-3 years, I have to do it. Also to conquer the official Ducati in 2021. " With Johann zarco, things are always said clearly…
