Johann zarco had his Christmas early by receiving his KTM official as soon as the lights of the 2018 MotoGP season are extinguished. And he found that it was not a gift. At least for now. The RC16 will therefore be his “meccano”, meaning that he will have to build it patiently by assembling the parts in order. In the first tests in Valencia and Jerez he only finished 21st and 19th. His teammate I will espargaro was 0.881 and 0.720 faster. A Pol with whom he also meets…
The Frenchman is 28 years old and the Spaniard a year younger. Above all, he has the advantage of entering his third season on a KTM with a V engine and a tubular steel frame. The tricolor comes from a Yamaha M1 made of aluminum. A very different world that was felt during the very first turns of the wheels. Fact, Pol Espargaro served as a point of reference. But for the better, then take another route!
Johann zarco thus explains his approach on speedweek : " I immediately understood why it was faster by looking at its data. This helped me at the very beginning. I was lost for a moment and so I wanted to see where he was. I applied his method on the track and I was able to gain six tenths, which is no small thing. From then on, my gap with him was less obvious ».
Certainly, but a relief which does not bring the solution: “ he can ride like that but on one lap. In fact, we have more or less the same problems. However, he is a fighter. When he has a problem, he fights against it, against the bike which nevertheless wants to take him off the track. He fights all the time. On one lap, it's okay, but only on one lap. I have another approach, I don't run into a wall. We have two characters, but the same concerns. Facing them, he speeds up and I slow down! ».
Otherwise, in terms of relationships, things are going well: “ he is a nice person, open to discussion. Once, while we were on a lunch break, I talked to him about transmission and he immediately admitted to me that he had never thought about the subject. His attention had been taken up on other aspects. From there, he started working on it. It’s an approach that I like. For the moment he is faster than me, I learn from his data. I'm the one telling him things right now even though I'm slower. He tells me less. But he's really cool ».
He finishes : " from less point of view, I am still considering the objective of the top 5 with this bike. The first level will be the top 10. When you have reached it, you are already almost in the top 5 ».
