Czech Republic GP – Clash Zarco-Espargaro: We race, not dance! –

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Clash Zarco / Espargaro: We race, not dance !

Czech Republic GP - Clash Zarco-Espargaro: We race, not dance! -

The controversy swells after the clash between Johann Zarco and Pol Espargaro yesterday at the GP of the Czech Republic: The Spaniard forced to retire cries out injustice while the French third recalls that he races motorcycles, no dance… Atmosphere and legal point.

While Pol Espargaro has just overtaken Johann Zarco for 4th place in the Czech Republic GP yesterday in Brno, it’s the cold shower in the KTM clan: the Spanish widens and comes back to touch the Frenchman who remained on his path, who tries to iron from the inside. The pilot of the KTM n ° 44 starts in the gravel and gives up while the French on the Ducati Avintia n ° 5 gets a penalty of "long lap" (widened lap).

  • Czech Republic GP MotoGP 2020 :
  • Czech Republic GP MotoGP 2020 :

As we can imagine, the two former teammates at KTM, who do not like each other, do not have the same vision of things at all…

Pol Espargaro openly plague against Zarco, whom he accuses on the one hand of having released him voluntarily and on the other hand of not having carried out his penalty correctly … According to him, the French did not have the right to make overtake his body from the white line by negotiating the elongated turn !

"The pilot must stay inside the lines"

In reality, the (FIM) for the 2020 MotoGP World Championship consulted by MNC does not explicitly provide for this provision invoked by Espagaro: "the pilot must remain within the lines defining the route of the extended lap" and the "no compliance with this rule may result in the repetition of the penalty or the application of another penalty according to the decision of the FIM MotoGP Stewards ", merely describes article 1.19.1 devoted to the extended lap penalty.

By using the simple term "rider", the FIM seems rather to mean "the bike" and not "the body" of the rider. Reference can in particular be made to article 3.4.1 of the same MotoGP regulations which provides for "the cancellation of the time achieved in practice by a rider who has exceeded the limits of the track". There is no doubt that these are the tires of the rider’s bike, not the rider himself – who, fortunately, still has the right to wiggle in the corners! Faith of MNC, it would however be interesting to rewrite article 1.19.1 on the elongated lap, to clarify it and avoid future sterile controversies….

Anyway, "Zarco didn’t care about me," storms the Spanish: "he looked for contact and knocked me down. He had a penalty but it was clearly insufficient, because he was able to get on the podium after knocking down another driver who would certainly have finished ahead of him ".

"My penalty was justified"

For Johann Zarco on the other hand, there is no debate: "my penalty was justified", admits the French, "but I did not deserve more. I passed Pol on the inside because he widened after entering too much. hard on the brakes in the first corner. I thought he would see me inside, but no: that’s part of the race too. We dive because the guy in front is widening and we have to try to pass. J was concentrated in third place to catch up with Franco Morbidelli when I was informed of my sanction: this "long lap" did not surprise me because I know the rules, and I was obviously a little worried after the we touched each other with Pol, especially since I no longer heard his motorcycle behind me "…

"I immediately decided to apply this extended lap to keep my concentration and this turn seemed to me to be very long negotiated on the outside!", Continues the Ducati-Avintia rider who signed the and finished: "I had Afraid of losing two or three places, but nobody got there and I stayed third. Everyone tells me that I negotiated this "long lap" really well, skimming the white line without losing speed despite the grip precarious: it must come from the Multistrada that I use every day and with which I negotiate roundabouts with little grip! "

"It is shameful !"

"I deserved this podium today and I’m sorry for Pol", but "we do races, not dance", concludes Johann who now climbs to 6th place in the general classification.

  • GP of Rep. Czech :
  • GP of Rep. Czech :
  • GP of Rep. Czech : 
  • GP of Rep. Czech : 

In the Ducati clan, it is naturally believed that Zarco was wrongly sanctioned. "It’s shameful!", Takes offense the young retiree Casey Stoner who believes that "Zarco did nothing wrong. If we widen, we can not expect that there is no one there. when we resume traj ‘", underlines the Australian by denouncing a" terrible decision of the officials ".

“Thank you Casey!” Adds Paolo Ciabatti, Ducati Corse sporting director, believing that without this penalty Zarco could have finished second instead of third… “It’s an incredible result for the Avintia team and a very bad one. decision by the race director. Fortunately Johann managed to get on the podium all the same ".

For MNC, this collision, however disappointing it may be for the KTM rider, does not deserve any real debate: Johann had stayed on the right trajectory, without straying, and it was Pol Espargaro who came to hit him. This incident, however, resurfaces all the tensions between Zarco and Espargaro, which were never appreciated during their collaboration at KTM….

Czech Republic GP MotoGP 2020 results

  1.  Brad BINDER KTM 41’38.764
  2. Franco MORBIDELLI Yamaha +5.266
  3. Johann ZARCO Ducati +6.470
  4. Alex RINS Suzuki +6,609
  5. Valentino Rossi Yamaha +7.517
  6. Miguel OLIVEIRA KTM +7.969
  7. Fabio QUARTARARO Yamaha +11.827
  8. Takaaki NAKAGAMI Honda +12.862
  9. Jack MILLER Ducati +15,013
  10. Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia +15,087
  11. Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati +16.455
  12. Danilo PETRUCCI Ducati +18.506
  13. Cal CRUTCHLOW Honda +18.736
  14. Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha +19.720
  15. Alex MARQUEZ Honda +24 597
  16. Tito RABAT Ducati +29.004
  17. Bradley SMITH Aprilia +32.290
  18. Stefan BRADL Honda +55,977

Unclassified 

  • Pol ESPARGARO KTM 12 laps
  • Joan MIR Suzuki 18 laps
  • Iker LECUONA KTM 18 lap

Provisional MotoGP classification 2020

  1. Fabio QUARTARARO Yamaha 59
  2. Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha 42
  3. Franco MORBIDELLI Yamaha 31
  4. Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati 31
  5. Brad BINDER KTM 28
  6. Johann ZARCO Ducati 28
  7. Valentino Rossi Yamaha 27
  8. Takaaki NAKAGAMI Honda 27
  9. Jack MILLER Ducati 20
  10. Alex RINS Suzuki 19
  11. Pol ESPARGARO KTM 19
  12. Miguel OLIVEIRA KTM 18
  13. Alex MARQUEZ Honda 13
  14. Joan MIR Suzuki 11
  15. Danilo PETRUCCI Ducati 11
  16. Francesco BAGNAIA Ducati 9
  17. Tito RABAT Ducati 7
  18. Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia 6
  19. Cal CRUTCHLOW Honda 6
  20. Bradley SMITH Aprilia 5

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