MotoGP Test Sepang J2: Very positive day for Johann Zarco

The days go by and are not the same for Johann Zarco at Sepang and, today, things have evolved in the right direction.

Dominated yesterday by Pol Espargaro, and even Miguel Oliveira, the French driver improved his best time by 1,2 seconds and reduced his gap by just half a second compared to a very fast leader.

Suddenly, he found himself as the standard bearer of the KTM troops, after allowing himself the luxury of briefly seizing pole position this morning then end the day in style at the last minute.

Johann zarco : “It's a big improvement, more than we could have expected. I had a good time in the morning and surfed this wave all day. When we fitted a new rear tire new At the end of the afternoon, I received this little gift of riding in less than two minutes. It's kind of a benchmark now. It gives me a smile and a feeling of happiness. I am happy. Let's see what we can still do on Friday, especially over several laps. If the conditions are good, I will try to get a time in the morning with a new tire. Then, when the temperatures warm up, I concentrate on normal work. I feel better and have more confidence in myself, especially when entering corners. We laid the foundations on Wednesday, I'm absorbing them today. That's why I can now concentrate on other tasks while driving, and take a step forward. I hope that the tests in Sepang and the next ones in Doha will help me adapt as quickly as possible. I realize that difficult times will come, but I am now ready for it. Of course, the goal of this test is to be quick. But you also need to have references if problems arise. If seven problems occur on a Friday at the same time, six of them must be resolved immediately. Which is easier said than done.”

MotoGP, Sepang J2 Tests: times

1	12	Maverick Vinales	Yamaha M1	1:58.897
2	42	Alex Rins	Suzuki GSX-RR	1:59.424	0.527	0.527
3	43	Jack Miller	Ducati GP19	1:59.517	0.620	0.093
4	4	Andrea Dovizioso	Ducati GP19	1:59.562	0.665	0.045
5	35	Cal Crutchlow	Honda RC213V	1:59.566	0.669	0.004
6	46	Valentino Rossi	Yamaha M1	1:59.625	0.728	0.059
7	53	Tito Rabat	Ducati GP18	1:59.664	0.767	0.039
8	93	Marc Márquez	Honda RC213V	1:59.790	0.893	0.126
9	9	Danilo Petrucci	Ducati GP19	1:59.845	0.948	0.055
10	30	Takaaki Nakagami	Honda RC213V	1:59.966	1.069	0.121
11	5	Johann zarco	KTM RC16	1:59.973	1.076	0.007
12	63	Francis Bagnaia	Ducati GP18	1:59.995	1.098	0.022
13	41	Aleix Espargaró	Aprilia RS-GP	2:00.101	1.204	0.106
14	20	fabio quartararo	Yamaha M1	2:00.108	1.211	0.007
15	21	Franco Morbidelli	Yamaha M1	2:00.151	1.254	0.043
16	6	Stefan bradl	Honda RC213V	2:00.230	1.333	0.079
17	44	Pol Espargaro	KTM RC16	2:00.305	1.408	0.075
18	29	Andrea Iannone	Aprilia RS-GP	2:00.510	1.613	0.205
19	66	Mika Kallio	KTM RC16	2:00.523	1.626	0.013
20	88	Miguel Oliveira	KTM RC16	2:00.672	1.775	0.149
21	36	Joan mir	Suzuki GSX-RR	2:00.876	1.979	0.204
22	17	Karel Abraham	Ducati GP18	2:01.245	2.348	0.369
23	T1	Nakasuga/Nozane	Yamaha M1	2:01.406	2.509	0.161
24	50	Sylvain Guintoli	Suzuki GSX-RR	2:01.654	2.757	0.248
25	55	Hafiz Syahrin	KTM RC16	2:01.859	2.962	0.205
26	T2	Nakasuga/Nozane	Yamaha M1	2:02.989	4.092	1.130
27	85	Takuya Tsuda	Suzuki GSX-RR	2:03.276	4.379	0.287