Johann zarco will be a first-rate debutant this season in MotoGP. And for good reason: he is a double World Champion of the last stage before reaching the elite who has settled in a Tech3 Yamaha team which is not the worst thing in the world either. paddock. He is also the most qualified of the French pilots who will work with compatriots. The wait is therefore already great but the Cannes resident is keeping a cool head and on his shoulders. With one objective all the same: to finish the season as the best newcomer.
In an interview at MotoGP.com, Johann zarco It is now two weeks before the resumption of work in MotoGP. An exit from the winter break which will take place in the torpor of the Sepang track, in Malaysia, the place where the Yamaha troops completed their last outing of 2016 before closing the exercise. An expedition, during which the two Tech3 drivers were, it seems, not unworthy against the official duo of the three tuning forks.
An exercise which followed the first contact in Valencia and a large number of laps completed without the slightest fall which allowed us to get a good first idea of MotoGP: “ in MotoGP everything is so new » begins the man who claims fifteen victories in Moto2 over the last two seasons. “ I would say that assimilating the speed of more than 300 km/h as best as possible is an important point in order to then do a good job with the team. Then there are the Michelin tires which provide different sensations from the Dunlops in Moto2 and which require you to approach the MotoGP category with calm.."
He pursues : " I must approach these new parameters with calm and serenity. Knowing how to trust my team as well as Yamaha's support to focus only on riding and simplify my work ". A mastery which has brought him this far and to which he will also comply with discipline to avoid mistakes: “ repeated falls must be avoided. I haven't had a lot of crashes in the last two years, because the Moto2 experience helped me. Being a beginner in MotoGP, but with my two titles, I may encounter difficulties in wanting to go fast, in defining the limit as best as possible and therefore in falling. ».
We will therefore have to find the right balance. A balance which will be the challenge because, moreover, the ambitions are affirmed: “ Being the Rookie of the Year is an almost obligatory objective, because many of us are discovering MotoGP so the competitive spirit will lead us to compare ourselves to come out the best. Finally, when I analyze the qualities of the Yamaha, I dream of succeeding in following the best riders and thus being among the contenders for the podium when the opportunities arise. ».
Beating your equally promoted rivals is of course also about dominating your teammate Jonas Folger : " Jonas will undoubtedly be the first driver with whom I will compare my performances. He drove fast during the tests in Valencia and also when we were in Malaysia. It's good to have such a good driver as a teammate, because the whole team will be pulled to the top ».
Everything is in place for the story to begin. With a certain reference point Jorge Lorenzo. On the track, his riding style is openly sought after by the latest arrivals in MotoGP. But for Johann, there is still a little more… “ If we refer to Jorge Lorenzo's double title in the intermediate category in 2006 and 2007 then I can say that it makes me happy to think about it every day. It's very motivating for the future, because a double title encourages you in the way you approach the world of competition ».
