If certain signs are hardly misleading, such as for example the speed with which Franco Morbidelli took charge of the Yamaha, or the apparent ease with which Rookie Francesco Bagnaia managed to do very fast sectors, to think that Johann Zarco is in difficulty since he occupies 17th place in the general classification at the end of this first day of MotoGP 2019 testing in Valencia would be a mistake.
Indeed, the French rider, although having been the first to set off on a track still containing patches of humidity, took his time to discover his KTM RC16 in the dry before seeing the rain prohibit his attempt. reposition themselves higher in the rankings.
At the end of a first day which he himself described as mixed in front of the press gathered at the end of the day, John Zarco is therefore eager to return to work on Wednesday to be closer to a Espargaro Pol for the moment 7 tenths and 8 places ahead of him.
Johann zarco : “It was a pleasure to get on the bike. As the track was not completely dry this morning, for safety's sake, we left with wet tires, which allowed us to make a really quiet first contact. Then, when we switched to slick tires, we had to do laps so that the track improved and we could get our bearings. At the end of the day, the rain didn't really allow us to make a good improvement and be in the lead. There are good things and there are things that are a little less good. There is great potential but the times did not come easily straight away. We had to change a lot of things on the bike. But it's okay, it's not catastrophic. It's the first day and everything is very different for me, whether it's the chassis or the engine. It's a bike with a completely different spirit, compared to what I had for 2 years in MotoGP. What we really need is to find a base because at the moment it is not healthy enough. So we had to sort out a lot of things. What I feel is that there is a lot of potential to be used, but before that, we need a healthy base so that then, when we start to move quickly, we can use all the potential of this big team which is behind. My experience of 2 years in MotoGP is fundamental to know the tires well and get used to the speed of more than 300 km/h, but the bike is of a different design in terms of engine and chassis, and there is a time adaptation. Even within the team, there are new people who have new tools in hand and need time to learn. So it's mixed as far as the position is concerned, but there are good hopes because it's really the start of everything and we have all the cards in hand to do well. For tomorrow, I'm really hoping for dry conditions to improve the times, and if it really rains, it will remain a very interesting test to ride and get the feeling in the rain. If it's dry, with what we're doing today, it will allow me to be on a higher level, and from there, to be able to get closer to the front runners, little by little."
How would you describe the features of this bike?
“In the chassis, I'm still having trouble deciding because I'm not going fast enough and I'm pushing a little when entering corners. If I let go too much, I tend to go straight. Once you sort that out, you relax on the bike, but that, in my opinion, is the real weak point. In the engine, it's really typical of this feeling of the V4 which is pleasant, on the first throttle strokes, between the net and the corner exits, because it gives a real pleasure of motorcycling under control. It's a good feeling. Afterwards, when things take turns, it's different again. But on the first net, when you don't put too much gas, it's more pleasant than what I had before.
What do you think of the WP suspensions and the new carbon fork?
“It's a general feeling and I can't yet divide between the fork and the chassis. It’s too much information at once and I can’t go into that detail yet.”
Are you satisfied or disappointed with this day?
“I didn't know what to expect. I really went neutral to absorb as much information as possible. Where we are, it's not performing well but we also took time before changing tires. And when we were ready to move forward, we had rain, so we must not refer to our place.”
Are you going to have to improve your driving?
“Probably it will never be able to drive like a Yamaha because it’s a bike that really has a different character. In terms of riding, I'm still having trouble deciding but there might be a way to play more with the bike when exiting a corner so that, if it's not perfect, I can manage to move forward well or manage a certain amount of traction, whereas on the Yamaha, if you weren't in the right gear, you didn't know what to do. This will at least allow some sort of ease in driving when accelerating.”
Is it going well with the technical team?
" Yes ! There are at least 3 new people who are fundamental: the team leader, electronics, strategy and suspensions. That's the basis. They told me they had some new tools that looked awesome. They have a lot of experience but everyone needs to adapt a little.”
What is the goal for day 2?
“Above all, drive fast! Afterwards, we'll see if there are any pieces to try but it's too early for now. In my opinion, it will be more in February that we will do real development of the bike. Tomorrow is dry, the objective is to quickly be in 1'31 because the references in Valencia are 1'30, or even 1'29 when things are going very well. There, the first drivers are in 1'31, and that is perhaps because the track was not very efficient.
In the end, what is your overall feeling?
" I am well ! I am well. At the time, you say to yourself “ah, damn! "But then you reason and tell yourself that it's normal."
| Pos | Pile | Team | Chrono | 1st gap | Previous deviation | Tours | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VIÑALES, Maverick | Yamaha Factory Racing | 1:31.416 | 33 / 39 | ||||
| 2 | MARCHEZ, Marc | Repsol Honda Team | 1:31.718 | 0.302 | 0.302 | 21 / 25 | ||
| 3 | Rossi, Valentine | Yamaha Factory Racing | 1:31.845 | 0.429 | 0.127 | 27 / 40 | ||
| 4 | DOVIZIOSO, Andrew | Ducati Team | 1:31.846 | 0.430 | 0.001 | 34 / 38 | ||
| 5 | BRADL, Stefan | Honda LCR | 1:32.015 | 0.599 | 0.169 | 45 / 51 | ||
| 6 | MORBIDELLI, Franco | Petronas Yamaha SRT | 1:32.085 | 0.669 | 0.070 | 32 / 40 | ||
| 7 | Espargaro, Aleix | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | 1:32.095 | 0.679 | 0.010 | 35 / 37 | ||
| 8 | PETRUCCI, Danilo | Ducati Team | 1:32.100 | 0.684 | 0.005 | 25 / 43 | ||
| 9 | ESPARGARÓ, Pol | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 1:32.179 | 0.763 | 0.079 | 23 / 35 | ||
| 10 | PIRRO, Michael | Ducati Team | 1:32.220 | 0.804 | 0.041 | 18 / 19 | ||
| 11 | BAGNAIA, Francis | Alma Pramac Racing | 1:32.396 | 0.980 | 0.176 | 37 / 38 | ||
| 12 | Rins, Alex | Team SUZUKI ECSTAR | 1:32.402 | 0.986 | 0.006 | 30 / 32 | ||
| 13 | NAKAGAMI, Takaaki | LCR Honda IDEMITSU | 1:32.539 | 1.123 | 0.137 | 21 / 26 | ||
| 14 | MILLER, Jack | Alma Pramac Racing | 1:32.555 | 1.139 | 0.016 | 18 / 19 | ||
| 15 | MIR, Joan | Team SUZUKI ECSTAR | 1:32.787 | 1.371 | 0.232 | 57 / 59 | ||
| 16 | RABAT, Tito | Royal Avintia Racing | 1:32.834 | 1.418 | 0.047 | 28 / 36 | ||
| 17 | ZARCO, Johann | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 1:32.835 | 1.419 | 0.001 | 32 / 36 | ||
| 18 | LORENZO, Jorge | Repsol Honda Team | 1:32.959 | 1.543 | 0.124 | 28 / 30 | ||
| 19 | IANNON, Andrew | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | 1:33.291 | 1.875 | 0.332 | 14 / 15 | ||
| 20 | ABRAHAM, Karel | Royal Avintia Racing | 1:33.301 | 1.885 | 0.010 | 32 / 35 | ||
| 21 | SMITH, Bradley | Aprilia Racing Test Team | 1:33.709 | 2.293 | 0.408 | 16 / 17 | ||
| 22 | Folger, Jonas | Yamaha Test Team | 1:33.810 | 2.394 | 0.101 | 27 / 30 | ||
| 23 | QUARTARARO, Fabio | Petronas Yamaha SRT | 1:33.850 | 2.434 | 0.040 | 35 / 38 | ||
| 24 | SYAHRIN, Hafizh | KTM Tech 3 Racing | 1:34.233 | 2.817 | 0.383 | 19 / 20 | ||
| 25 | OLIVEIRA, Miguel | KTM Tech 3 Racing | 1:35.118 | 3.702 | 0.885 | 21 / 33 |
