This Saturday February 12, 2022, Johann zarco answered journalists' questions from the Mandalika circuit in Indonesia, following the second of three days of IRTA testing on this new circuit located on the island of Lombok.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the French pilot who, like the others, was able to benefit from more favorable track conditions today…
As usual, we report here the words of Johann zarco without the slightest formatting, even if it is partially translated (vouvoiement in English, tutoiement in French).
Johann zarco : " A second good day! Clearly the track was much better at the start than yesterday, and with the cool temperatures of the morning I was surprised to immediately be quite fast on the worn tires. So we took this opportunity to put on a new tire and make a good reference. And from there I did a lot of tricks. I rested well between an hour and three hours to store up good energy for the afternoon and finish the session well. I am happy with the medium rear tire because I have progressed well with it, and this is quite important because it is not certain that we will have the softer for the race, since it provides good grip but it is perhaps be too limited for high temperatures on the right side. It was therefore important to progress with the medium rear tire. Then the time attack was also pretty good, but I'm always impressed by opponents who go super fast. It's not easy to go over the limit in every corner when you have to use the new tire well, but I was able to do it and that makes me happy. So it’s a very good second day!
We haven't really tried any new things on the bike and the 2022 model is now a package where we know what we're going to use. We are still playing with some settings to give me the most feeling, so I am still looking for automation on the bike which will be very important for this season. »
Do you already have an idea of the most competitive Ducati riders and your toughest opponents?
« I'm very impressed with Rins: he's done a fantastic job since Malaysia, which means pretty fast, lots of laps and lots of fast laps. This implies that he has prepared himself very well physically and that the bike responds well. We know that the Suzuki is generally stronger in the race at the moment when the rear tire is degrading, so I'm quite impressed with him. Then, with all the new changes to the Honda, it's hard to really know its potential but it has been announced by the Japanese that they are definitely trying new things and a new direction: if they do, the performance that they have already made show that they will be there!
In my opinion, the potential of the Ducati is very high since last year and still remains in this direction: not perfect because it is very demanding when you have to go fast, but once you understand it you take a lot of pleasure. So I continue to believe that by making some small progress regarding the feeling and the settings of the bike, we can have the best package to start the season, especially on big circuits like Qatar. This one isn't as big but I think we can manage just fine. So yes, we can have a good package to start the season. »
Are you ready for departures? Here, it could be very slippery in five weeks...
« If you want to prepare well for your start in the race, you must qualify 2nd, 5th or 8th. You have to use this line because we come out of turn 17, that's where we go into the straight and it's pretty clean for starts. But it's true that if you try another place, it's tricky. I hope they do something because, like I said, the first row is good but the perfect place is the second or fifth position (on the grid). If it's just us riding, no, it won't be good because it's very slippery on the side. It is difficult to bring rubber to the sides of the grid because we will not take the time to do it in FP1 or FP2 since we have things to do. But if they just clean it, I'm not sure that will be enough because we also need gum on it. So yes, it could be tricky. »
With a little rubber from Moto2 and Moto3, could that help things or make them more difficult?
« This can help a little but at this point, at the exit of the corner, there are not thousands of trajectories, so the Moto3 and Moto2 will have more or less the same trajectories as us, and will not clean this place any further. Or, like in the past when Valentino did it in 2004 in Qatar, we take a whole scooter and we do a burn in each position: that could perhaps be a solution. »
He did it because he started last on the grid…
« I think we have no shortage of scooters here in Indonesia because it's the land of scooters, so we could ask everyone to do burns between Saturday and Sunday (laughs). »
Have you tested the long exhaust?
« Only Martin tested it with us. I didn't have to do it. It's true that at the moment it may not be paying off as they would like, so maybe I won't have to try it at all. Really, in technical terms, I don't know what we have to try tomorrow. There, everything is fine: the 2022 package is good, I like it! I'm going to try to continue to have these small adjustments where sometimes not much brings me much, and really try to understand that as best as possible. The more I ride, the more I get used to the speed, the better I ride the Ducati. That's what I'm trying to look for in fact, more than pure performance, it's finding automatisms to be good over 20 laps. »
An essential element to going fast seems to be playing on the ride height device. How does this complicate piloting, could it be a little dangerous, and should it be regulated?
« Dangerous, I think it's not at all! Yes, it makes us accelerate more but it's not in really dangerous places: it's when everything is straight. Now, with aero, we are even safer when we gain speed. And even this device can sometimes help with braking so it remains interesting. But it's true that MotoGP is becoming real dragsters.
Everyone has their own style: some like to activate it when braking, others when cornering, others when exiting the corner. I'm more of those who use it when I'm going to relax my body, I activate it at the rope point. It really depends on the style and it's a decision to take: at the beginning, we say to ourselves that there are so many other things to think about that it's going to cost us time in piloting, but when we start to use it correctly, it improves acceleration so much that you force yourself to use it. Afterwards, it becomes a bit automatic and that's where it's good to see what you can do when you adapt.
»
Do you think it should be limited?
« I don't know how we can really do better. It's hard to say. How to limit it or are we at the end of the thing, I don't know. It's still an interesting development because when you see the equipment, it's impressive! On the other hand, the mechanics could get a bonus, because between four years ago and now, it's no longer the same job they do (laughs). Yes, but it's longer. »
Mandalika MotoGP Test Ranking Saturday:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com