Analysis – Zarco and KTM in MotoGP: it’s over! – Used KTM

Posted on by admin

Zarco and KTM in MotoGP: it’s over !

Analyzes - Zarco and KTM in MotoGP: it's over! - Used KTM

"No one is a prophet in his country" … The expression fits like a glove (track) at KTM, while Johann Zarco has expressed his desire to leave the official MotoGP team at the end of the 2019 season after his 12th place at the Austrian GP. Explanations.

Should we really be surprised by Johann Zarco’s decision not to honor his two-year contract with KTM initially planned? Not really, in view of the difficulties encountered by the double Moto2 world champion on the RC16 and the deleterious atmosphere in the Orange box, despite the arrival of alongside the n ° 5…

  • MNC special file : 
  • MNC of May 9, 2019 : 

Recall that the French rider – best rookie of the year 2017 and author of six podiums on the Yamaha Tech3 – was particularly angry during the GP of Spain, violently criticizing the KTM strategy and its trellis frame before being made .

"Johann’s performance is just unacceptable," then roared KTM CEO Stefan Pierer, estimating his difficulties "from psychological spring." And Pierer to continue by recalling that his teammate Pol Espargaro is doing much better and above all without complaint….

The crux of the matter lies precisely in this aspect: KTM hired Johann Zarco to rise in MotoGP, counting on his winning potential to find the path to success. The Cannes driver had to take on the role of driver n ° 1, star status which had convinced him to put aside the very attractive offer from Honda-Repsol….

  • Zarco in Spain : 
  • MNC interview of February 15, 2019 : 
  • MNC interview of March 19, 2019 : 

But after eleven races, the results are clear: the n ° 5 is constantly dominated by his box neighbor and has only reached his Top 10 goal once (at the GP of Catalonia). Currently 17th in the provisional, Johann is 39 points behind Pol Espargaro (11th).

Worse: French is regularly dominated by the Portuguese beginner Miguel Oliveira on his private RC16 (15th in the standings), as was the case on Sunday during the Austrian Grand Prix. The Tech3 rider, best KTM representative at the Red Bull Ring, took 8th place at 16.206 sec, when Johann finished 12th at 25.503 sec on the factory bike…

Amicable breach of contract

This new single-handed race convinced the French rider of the need to put an end to his history with KTM: Johann requested an interview with Stefan Pierer to express his desire to terminate his contract prematurely and amicably..

 Analyzes - Zarco and KTM in MotoGP: it's over! - Used KTM

"He asked me at Spielberg if we could terminate the contract amicably," confirmed the CEO of KTM to our colleagues at Speedweek. "We will spare Johann Zarco any legal disputes, so that he can concentrate on piloting. We did not assure him immediately. This solution is the best for both parties".

The boss of KTM, who does not particularly wear French in his heart, also continues to think that the mental factor is the main obstacle to Zarco’s progress on the RC16 and therefore believes that his voluntary withdrawal from the Netherlands would be an illustration of a form of "burnout".

"He suddenly seemed very relaxed when he obtained my consent to terminate the contract," notes the Austrian boss, who cannot help but wonder if "this relief will be felt on the track and what results he will obtain during the next Grand Prix ".

Pierer’s remark refers to Lorenzo’s divorce from Ducati last year: the Mallorcan had started to win the Desmosedici at the Italian GP (then in Catalonia), just after signing with the HRC at the French GP! Some then felt that the release of the pressure had allowed him to express his real potential… 

Which motorcycle for Zarco in 2020 ?

"Johann and the team have decided not to continue their joint project for 2020 and will now try to give their maximum in the last eight rounds", explains KTM in a press release, without forgetting to underline all the efforts made to satisfy Johann: "In his first year as an official MotoGP rider, Zarco tried to adapt his riding style to the KTM RC16 and the whole team tried tirelessly to adapt the No.5 bike to the wishes and requirements from the French, while his teammate Pol Espargaro qualified regularly in Q2 and was constantly fighting in the top 10 in the race "…

For his part, Johann specifies that he wants to do his job "with a smile and run for podiums" but that he will try "to further improve his driving".

Two questions come to mind simultaneously: which team will the 29-year-old from Cannes turn to and who will KTM replace him with? Regarding Joahnn, it makes sense to imagine that he first negotiated a handlebar for 2020 before breaking his contract…

One of the logical tracks would be for him to get back the bike with which his talent was so brilliantly expressed in 2017 and 2018: the Yamaha. The two factory M1s being awarded to Rossi and Viñales in 2020, only private Yamaha SRT-Petronas motorcycles can be the subject of any negotiation..

However, it is hard to imagine the Malaysian team giving him the handlebars of Fabio Quartararo in view of the extraordinary performances of his compatriot! The French debutant has just signed his third podium of the season in Austria, all of which have undoubtedly weighed on Zarco’s morale..

  • Austrian GP : Report and results (Dovizioso winner ahead of Marquez and Quartararo)

As for his Italian-Brazilian teammate Franco Morbidelli, his contract runs until the end of 2020. Dead end, therefore, for Johann Zarco … The other motorcycle to his liking would be the Suzuki, but the leader of the Hamamastu coat of arms , Alex Rins, is firmly installed at the controls of the GSX-RR with his young teammate Joan Mir.

Analyzes - Zarco and KTM in MotoGP: it's over! - Used KTM

There remains the possibility of joining a Ducati, Avintia or Pramac satellite team … A moderately pleasing prospect given the difficulties encountered by many riders to acclimatize to the capricious Desmosedici: the experience of the KTM tends to show that motorcycles physics do not succeed in French.

  • MNC of June 21, 2019 : For Zarco, the rumors of his move to WSBK at Honda are "bullshit" 

Last scenarios to consider, one very sad the other very exhilarating: Johann leaves MotoGP and bounces back in World Superbike on an official CBR1000RR, as per the person concerned. 

Or – let’s dream a little – the talented Cannes native finally joins the official Honda team to replace Lorenzo, who is rumored to be leaving due to his difficulties and injuries! No doubt too good to be true, as Crutchlow or Nakagami are arguably better placed to join Marquez at HRC. A saddle would then be available at Honda-LCR: Johann can try to sit on it ?!

Who on the official KTM in 2020 ?

As for KTM, the possibilities of replacing Zarco are quite limited: KTM has already indicated that its handlebars will be offered to Dani Pedrosa, but without much hope … "Dani signed a test pilot contract and explicitly stated that it was not available for racing, "recalls the Orange brand.

  • Austrian GP : Dovizioso fears Marquez, Miller fears … Lorenzo ! 

Jack Miller has also been approached following rumors of his replacement by Lorenzo at Pramac, but the Australian has reportedly declined the offer claiming to be in the process of signing his contract extension with Ducati. 

KTM will therefore have to draw from the breeding ground of Moto2, whose brand has just announced its withdrawal as an official team. The logical choice would be to approach the current leader of the intermediate category: Alex Marquez, younger brother of the MotoGP title holder !

Related articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *