MotoGP Valencia J3 Debriefing Johann Zarco (Ducati/6): “We have to stay hard but my brain doesn’t want to! ", etc. (Entirety)

This Sunday, November 14, 2021, John Zarco answered questions from journalists from the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Cheste (Valencia), at the end of the Valencian Community Grand Prix.

We went to listen (via teleconference software) to the words of the French driver who concludes this 2021 season in 5th place in the championship.

As usual, we report here the words of John Zarco without the slightest formatting, even if it is partially translated (vouvoiement in English, tutoiement in French).

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Johann zarco : " Happy with the good technical things, with the fact that I was able to finish the season with the level that I had and that I had lost at Silverstone, and that I found overall in Portimão. So I'm very happy with that and it's the most positive thing about the end of the season, because I finish with a good feeling and knowing that there is enormous potential for me to exploit. Its very important ! Simply, I am very disappointed to have missed the podium today because of the start. I knew it, but even knowing it and trying to progress in each session, I couldn't manage it well in the race. Even during the sessions, my starts were not very good: This weekend, the sensations with the clutch were more complicated than during the other weekends. So in the end, the race was shit, and I'm disappointed because of that. I also lost a little time behind Binder because he was quite strong when braking and on the first touch of the throttle, so the few meters I lost made it difficult to catch up to overtake him when braking. Then when it started to slow down because of the tire, and I felt a lot better. After the halfway point, that was the moment when I felt the fastest compared to the others, because I think my tires were still very good. I would be curious to see what the construction of my tires was as I was able to control them very well. But I missed various things. I missed the podium because of the bad start, and even though I knew it, I couldn't avoid it. So I'm disappointed with that but happy to find a good feeling and a very great ability to go fast. It's back, and even with an even better feeling than at the start of the year. This is the very good thing from Valencia today. »

Are you satisfied with fifth place in the championship?

« Yes ! Fifth position is good! It's my best season in MotoGP and that's why it's positive. At the beginning of the year, I said that if I was in the top 10 or if I tried to be in the top 5 it would be huge, and finally I achieved that goal. I think we feel this fifth position is bad because I led the championship in Qatar and I was second for a long time, until the summer break, and even after Austria I think I was still second or third. That's why, as from this moment it seems that I only lost positions. But a final fifth place is still very good, so that's great. Since Portimao, I am also the first independent driver, and it is always a trophy that you are happy to take home. So we are happy with the team, we worked well, and the team is very happy because I was consistent and they got fantastic results with Martin. This is why we have a chance of being very strong next year. »

A quick comment on Valentino Rossi?

« It was fun waiting for him and seeing the crowd at turn 2! During the victory lap, I really got the best energy I could get. It was a moment that I was happy to experience and enjoy with everyone, even if I wasn't completely happy to have missed the podium. But I forgot about that and took the positive out of this victory lap. »

Can you detail the bad sensations you have with your clutch?

« It's quite simple! It's about succeeding in waxing the clutch properly, as it should, because you have to have the first two or three meters ultra explosive, but if you only stay on that, after that you don't do enough anymore. skating the motorcycle. There is a way to regain the clutch, and for the moment I am still between two: Either I engage too much, or not enough. And often, at the same time, I even take my hand off the gas. As the bike lifts, I almost throttle back, and it's crazy how your brain can't tell you "no, stay at full throttle!" ". Are these too many bad habits, well bad, they weren't so bad, but they are becoming bad because no doubt technically the bikes and the teams have evolved so much that they are able to manage the starts in 2.2 or 2.3. That's why this feeling, I like to play with a little gas but in fact it's simple, you have to stay at full throttle but my brain doesn't want to! It's like when someone pushes you, you put one foot forward by reflex, but no: They push you and you shouldn't do anything! There's something buggy. »

This can't be handled electronically?

« I think it would be too complicated to manage the electronics on this for me. It's better that I find the feeling, and leave. That’s all (laughs)! »

Are you looking forward to the test in Jerez?

« Impatient, no, because it happens so quickly, but happy to do them, because as I end with good sensations, sensations which for me are even better understood than before because I understand more and more everything that I do on the bike, there has been progress on that side so there is a way to work well in Jerez. And that, I'm happy for that. So in a hurry, no, but happy to go because after a sort of frustrating result, having a good try will do some good. Frustrating, simply in terms of speed, not in terms of pure result, because of this failed start. »

If we come back to your technical explanation of the starts, at one time of the year you were rather talking about a kind of caution and/or a lack of aggressiveness in the first turns: today, it's a mix of these two factors ?

« The feeling came back and yet it didn't help me, so it's not really just a question of aggression. There, the aggression is good, it has returned, so it's more that there is a feeling like that and you have to know how to adapt to new things. This is where it's infinite: We can always progress, and there we have guys who are capable of doing it constantly. That's the high level. This is why I mention the clutch today, because it is simply that but clearly it seems harder to do in action. »

Are there any particular things you want to try in Jerez?

« Yes. My weak point still remains certain corner entries and a bit of braking zones, so the tests will be good for that, to really always look for trajectories that are different from what I like to do naturally. What I do is good, but the goal is to remove the “but”. There is a whole braking phase where I am not bad but to do perfect I will have to progress. »

 

 

Results of the MotoGP Valencian Community Grand Prix:

 Credit Ranking: motogp.com