MotoGP Test Portimão J2: Johann Zarco (Ducati/2) has aligned all the planets!

Author ofa modest 13th time on the first day of the MotoGP test in Portimão after crashing twice, Johann zarco had nevertheless warned: “ It's never fun to fall but we're here to try, and so even then I've tried things because it helps to understand a lot of information. So we can be positive for today, and tomorrow, the last day of testing, we will try to put everything together, on everything we have tried since Sepang, in order to have a better performance and to be competitive. »

And even though it was probably less easy than it might seem, the Frenchman did what he said he would, finishing in second place in the combined standings, 0,296 seconds behind Francis Bagnaia, the leader of this test.

At the end of the 69 laps completed, number 5 explains…

Johann zarco : " This is a positive end to the test! I am very happy with the time, maybe even surprised because we were still working. But as I said yesterday, we started working on small details in order to have the possibility of setting a good time. And this is what happened: We worked out details. At the start of the day I wasn't really satisfied, but with the first soft tire the time became pretty good. It really reinforces and confirms that we were in the right direction, so I'm very happy with that. Clearly there is a long season ahead of us and it is up to me to get stronger to do as Pecco does, because Pecco has been fast since Sepang and, here in Portimão, he was really in control. This is the goal to have the opportunity to enjoy the season, so I am happy with today's performance but I still have to study a lot of things to control the situation even more. »

Asked about the differences between his bike and last year, the Pramac rider immediately points to the engine: “ I think the step forward of the motor is very interesting, and we see that it is sometimes a difficult part to judge as a driver, because there is a lot of electronics that can cut off the feeling or hide certain behaviors of the motor , but I think that, even with that, we have taken a step forward and the changes we are making with the electronics work even better. Maybe I'm still trying to change my approach in order to feel better on the bike and then be competitive. For the moment it is working well since I had a good result today at the end of the test. This is the potential of the bike for two years: It can be very fast. But to really compare with last year, maybe we have better engine behavior. »

Unfortunately, the French driver could not escape, once again, the inevitable question concerning his first victory...

« Bien sûr, le package est là, et comme je l’ai dit, je veux encore mieux contrôler la situation afin d’avoir cette opportunité et de la prendre quand elle viendra. Mais vous devez vraiment rester très calme car ça va vraiment très vite. Nous avons ri avec Gino en fin de journée en pensant que si quelqu’un était venu et avait demandé ” comment s’est passée votre journée ? “,
– ” c’est bien, j’ai battu le record de la journée “,
– ” Super ! Mais combien es-tu ? “,
– ” 16e ! ” (Rires).
This is the category: it's funny like that but when you you're 16th, it's less fun. This is why I think that controlling the situation will be the key to winning races. »

And to make things clear, Johann zarco does not hide behind a possible difference of motorcycles with Francis Bagnaia : " I think they are the same! »

 

Final ranking of this second day of MotoGP testing in Portimão:

Classification credit: MotoGP.com