For once, Johann Zarco does not appear in his rather usual place as “first Honda” and lost to Joan Mir during the Sprint of the TT Assen MotoGP in the Netherlands, but that’s not the problem…
The problem is that, whatever settings are used, the bike has difficulty cornering, and no one sees the slightest solution at the moment. While waiting for a new motorcycle, a new project, Johann Zarco does what he can, that is to say also works on himself, and tries tricks, like for example the medium front tire during the Sprint…
As usualwe report his words here without the slightest formatting, even if they are translated from English for the first part.
Johann Zarco : “I was able to confirm that the tire was not bad for the Sprint and that it should be good for tomorrow as well. We lacked speed, the pace we had in the race was quite good compared to what we could aim for, but when we compare ourselves to the winner, we are too far away and it is quite difficult to accept and race in These conditions.
I try to analyze what Pecco does because he is very, very impressive, and I try to have the same concentration and the same feeling that he can have.
I mean in the way he uses the bike, he makes perfect lines. And even though we don’t have the same bike, I know that if I was on the Ducati right now, I wouldn’t be doing what he’s doing. That’s why I’m really trying to find keys to progress on myself and continue to climb, and when the bike is ready, I will be more ready than I was in the past. So this is the current situation, we can’t go any faster and we have to wait for a new project, because even if we try other things and get information, we never manage to take a step forward. Before “.
You say Pecco is very impressive. Is it just his trajectories or is he doing other things that you think are impossible for you, or even on the Ducati, that would be impossible to do? Does he do things differently than others on a Ducati?
“He’s very sensitive on the front tyre and with the front of the bike, and that’s why he found the right setup that allows him to use it and control the rear. I mean, yes, he controls everything, but knowing him for a long time, he’s very sensitive on the front, and now in MotoGP, that’s the area where you can make a lot of difference, and he does. So it’s very impressive.”
You rode Pramac for years. Now they decided to switch to Yamaha. Do you think this will help the Yamaha project, or Pramac?
“No, it’s a good thing for the Yamaha project. They need more bikes to develop and get more information. It’s a good thing to have more Japanese bikes in the championship, because now the European bikes, especially the Ducati, have too many advantages. So we have to find a better balance and hope that the Japanese will reduce the gap with the Ducati. I think Marc and Pecco will be almost impossible to reach next year in the top team, and they will fly all year, but at least, from third to tenth place, there will be changes and that will be a good thing. And I think that Yamaha, by making improvements and putting more bikes on the grid, will push Honda to make changes or find solutions.”
Are you taking up tennis?
“No, my wrist hurt a bit. MotoGP is back, it’s a very intense bike, you push a lot and your wrists are a bit sensitive again. So I kept them on for the race and now I haven’t taken them off yet because it’s going to tear my hair out (laughs).
For the race, I’m glad I took the medium, it confirms that my feeling was pretty good about the choice of tire, because I couldn’t have done better with the soft. And the medium, I had only used it in FP1, but it wasn’t so bad. So, now I see that it was pretty good, and the problem with the soft is that I had too many vibrations. I even had some with the medium, but a little less. So there you have it, a way to prepare for tomorrow’s race so as not to be surprised by choosing a medium and perhaps making a mistake, and because we know that 9th place for the moment is not possible in a sprint. So, it’s still testing, the sprint.”
Finishing 16th today, are you optimistic about the top 15 tomorrow?
“Yeah, definitely, because on Friday, I said that if there is a pace around 33.6, it could be pretty good, there we did everything in 33.3, even 33.1, so faster than expected. From that side, it’s not bad. It’s a sign that at the sporting level, I gave the right energy. Afterwards, we see that a rhythm in small 33, well that leads nowhere, let’s say, that’s still too far. If there is a way to find several laps below 33, then yes, there is a way to make points tomorrow”.
When you say “We need a new motorcycle project”. Were you given dates?
“We know that there are some changes in September. And they are trying things, eh, engine, chassis, I think the aero is still working. Well, they are trying. In any case, it’s a whole package, but it’s strange how the potential that I could imagine at the beginning of the year finally reached a limit too quickly. When I see the others, I see that we can’t do the same things, eh? We don’t turn the same way, the bike doesn’t grip in the same place, and it’s difficult because we don’t have the track yet. We can sometimes say a little better, but there’s always a second of delay.”
The fact that you say that Yamaha is developing its project and will perhaps push Honda to change things: is Yamaha becoming the example to follow?
“No, not the example to follow, because it’s still a different bike.
I really think that the in-line engine and V-engine project are two completely different things, but let’s say that there is perhaps competition between the Japanese, who have always been there, and I think that could push a little more the Japanese to say “damn, another Japanese is doing it or starting to perform again”, they will perform again too”.
Do you think that the fact that Marquez signed pushes Pecco to say “I’m the boss” and that he really wants to win this year to mark his territory?
“Yeah, it’s possible, it’s possible. Yes, of course there must be ego like that, and it’s competition. But almost, on the one hand, to say
“I use my advantage while I have it”because maybe if Marquez then becomes even more comfortable… because Marquez always has that thing that the others don’t have. It’s “afraid of nothing”! The fall he had in qualifying was crazy. So, he will always have that, but if he also gains a margin in riding because he manages the Ducat better, well he will play for his 9th title”.
Dutch Grand Prix Sprint Results MotoGP
2024 at TT Assen:
Ranking credit: MotoGP.com
: “Marquez always has that thing that the others don’t have. It’s “fear of nothing!” (Entirety)){kind=link}