Johann Zarco was once again the dominant force in the Honda camp at the Dutch Grand Prix. The LCR Honda rider scored points on Sunday, and while there is still a long way to go, the veteran is already setting himself ambitious new targets.
In qualifying, Johann Zarco was the best of the four drivers
Hondaplacing himself in 19th position. Unlike his recent experiences, he approached the Assen meeting not as a simple test event, but as a real competition.
However, his progression plan during the race Sprint
didn’t work, and he couldn’t get past 16th place. Things went much better on Sunday, and a
Zarco Joyer spoke in the afternoon. “ The conditions were really good and I had a lot of fun – luckily, it was a little cooler. It was also helpful for the bike and the grip, the grip was really surprisingly high,” he explained.
Thanks to better control of your motorcycle during the Grand Prix, Zarco was able to score points, which was a satisfaction for him. “ We are still in the fine-tuning phase, we have to follow the others.
I only had one very good duel with Augusto Fernandez, Saturday he was in front of me, today I was able to take revenge. It was an interesting fight with him because I had to work a lot with the tires. »
Johann Zarco : « when I look at the rhythm of Pecco Bagnaia I see what still awaits us »
Johann Zarco also spoke about the general challenge of keeping up with the leaders of the pack. On the one hand, it is difficult because it is still possible to follow a larger group. When I look to the future, for example at Fabio, there is just a big gap. And Fabio himself is again far from being at the top.. So it’s a kind of race within a race. When I look at Pecco’s pace, I see what’s still ahead of us. On the other hand, we’re also making progress. Honda doesn’t accept such races, and neither do we as riders. That means we keep working! »
The LCR leader stresses the importance of setting realistic goals. At the beginning of the season I thought that top 10 places were possible, but it was a false assessment. We had to do a lot of groundwork. There was no goal in the race, we tested. Now we are racing again – and
I’m back in the top 10. It’s possible to get there during the season. »
However, the Frenchman remains realistic about his ambitions. But one thing is clear, it is absolutely
unrealistic to talk about podium. If we fight for the victory ourselves next year, it would be a surprise. »
Johann Zarco will continue to develop the RC213V in 2025, with its contract confirmed. Second place in the team of Lucio Cecchinello is still in play, with Oh Ogurarecent winner in Moto2 at
shafts, considered the most promising candidate. The courage and determination of Johann Zarco are valuable assets to Honda, and it continues to strive for constant improvement despite the challenges it faces.
MotoGP, Assen: classification of the Dutch Grand Prix:
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