Qatar MotoGP GP – Zarco: "I took my chance …"

For six laps, the star of the 2017 Qatar Grand Prix was Johann Zarco! Marquez, Dovizioso, Iannone, Viñales and Rossi only saw the rear shell of the French debutant’s Yamaha Tech3, launched in an unexpected breakaway. Impressive, even if the dream ended abruptly in the gravel … Statements and analysis.

Johann Zarco, Yamaha Tech3 (4th on the grid and retirement after a crash during the race) : "Despite the final result, I’m happy and it was really nice to be in the lead of my first race! This afternoon, the warm up was longer because on Saturday (30 minutes were added to the last session The track was not perfect, but my feeling was very good and my fourth place on the grid was close to the outposts. Just before the start, the procedure was interrupted due to a downpour. the race finally started, I was focused and noticed that I was close to first place, so I took the opportunity. ".

"I know my starts are good and I took the opportunity to overtake a few quick drivers on the first corner. Then I kept a steady pace and kept pushing until the sixth lap, where I decided to relax. Maybe I veered off course a little, causing my crash in the second turn … It’s a shame, but we are still at the limit and I still need to learn this category . This kind of mistake is part of my learning as a MotoGP rookie. It’s a shame about the result, but it’s important for the confidence. I can’t wait to go to Argentina! " (from April 7 to 9, Editor’s note).

• MNC Live : The race delayed because of the rain !
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• MNC Live : Zarco out, Viñales to victory
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• Report and rankings :
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Site analysis : Maverick Viñales himself was stunned by Johann Zarco’s start to the race, asking himself sincerely "how did he do it ?!" to watch everyone for six rounds! Because let’s be honest: if the tricolor clan crossed their fingers hoping for an exploit, the French beginner simply offered them a miracle by sticking up to 1.7 seconds to his pursuers! Better still: Johann set the fastest lap in his 4th race in 1’55.990, i.e. 0.167 sec faster than Viñales on the official M1 !

Spectacular Zarco !

Do you find that impressive? Well, you should also know that the pilot of Herve Poncharal (team manager of Yamaha Tech3) is the only one to have fallen below 1’56 on Sunday evening! Frankly bluffing, insofar as Johann only completed six laps before falling while his rivals had plenty of time to improve this time during the remaining 14 laps … Let a newcomer in MotoGP make sparks from his first Grand Prix is ​​already exceptional, but in addition on a private motorbike, here is frankly something spectacular ! 

Especially since the young man from Avignon was not expected at such a party despite his fourth place on the grid, after off-season tests which were certainly constantly improving but ended behind his teammate Jonas Folger. In the race, Johann transcended himself to shine in the spotlight of the Qatari track when his German teammate was unable to catch the leading men.

This great enthusiasm is however somewhat dampened by an accounting reality: Folger may have been less sensational than the, but he leaves with six points for tenth place while Zarco begins his career in the premier class with a bubble… Too bad his deviation in trajectory did not simply end with a detour in the aisles rather than an eliminatory fall: after such a start, finishing the race in the points would have given an additional dimension to Zarco’s already exceptional performance..

Unfortunately, the grip made uncertain by the various rain episodes and the return of the nightly humidity made the Qatar track even more uncompromising than usual. Cal Crutchlow also paid the price by falling twice on his Honda-LCR, including a final front crash very similar to that of Johann Zarco.

Zarco crashes out of the LEAD of the! Dovizioso leads!

– MotoGP ™ (@MotoGP)

The queen class of motorcycling sport is however warned: Johann did not come to make up the figures! His demonstration is also as instructive for his rivals as for himself: he had to mark the occasion to prove his worth, that is what is done. ! 

Already very confident about the future of Laurent Felon’s protege in MotoGP, Valentino Rossi also reaffirmed his admiration for his panache: "it’s a big performance achieved in difficult conditions," underlines the transalpine star, apologizing for the fall of the Frenchman. by his lack of experience. Nice introduction to our "Zarco-corico" !

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