Can Zarco’s 15th place in Misano cost him the official Ducati handlebars ?
Johann Zarco records a distant 15th position at the San Marino Grand Prix, while Francesco Bagnaia with whom he is competing to access the official Ducati team is second despite his freshly operated knee … Debriefing and MNC analyzes.
Johann Zarco, Ducati-Avintia (10th in qualifying and 15th in race): "The positive aspect of this race, despite finishing 15th with 20 seconds behind the winner, is that I felt a lot of positive things from the start. The step forward taken this morning during the warm-up has me helped a lot to follow Dovizioso and Bagnaia ".
"My start was good but over the laps I suffered a lot with the rear tire. I couldn’t keep up the pace and lost a lot in the last seven laps. I can be quick on one lap if I force to put the bike where I want it, but I can’t repeat that the whole race. So the goal is to be as fast, but easier ".
- GP of San Marino:
- GP of San Marino:
- MNC special file :
MNC analysis: This San Marino Grand Prix took the form of an emotional roller coaster for Johann Zarco … At 30, the French rider knows he will leave his team to recover an official Ducati, but his modest performance at Misano does not plead in his favor in front of Italian fans and decision-makers…
Let us recall that Ruben Xaus, manager of the Avintia team, revealed his late season on Saturday with the almost certain prospect – at "99%" – that Johann will be replaced by Enea Bastianini. In all likelihood, the French could therefore "take the lead" with a factory Desmosedici in 2021.
- MNC of September 11, 2020 : Official, Zarco leaves Ducati-Avintia at the end of 2020 !
Two scenarios are on the table at Ducati: to make Joohann Zarco climb into the official structure alongside Jack Miller, or to prefer Francesco Bagnaia … On the understanding that if "Pecco" replaces Dovizioso, Johann would take the place of n ° 63 at Pramac – which also enjoys full support from the manufacturer.
Zarco and Bagnaia are therefore in direct competition, knowing that both claim solid strengths. Johann’s career includes some superb performances in his debut with the M1, while he is the only one so far to have won two Moto2 titles and to have driven so many different MotoGP: the Yamaha, the KTM, the Honda. (replacing Nakagami) and the Ducati !
This experience gives it a unique and attractive status, especially for Ducati, which has stumbled for three years against the "Honda-Marquez" duo … Johann has also demonstrated his ability to exploit the twist Desmosedici: 5th in Andalusia, he was then offered pole and 4th place at the Czech Republic GP !
Bagnaia makes Italy vibrate !
But Francesco Bagnaia is currently evolving a notch above: the young Italian of 23 years, strong of his second season on the Ducati, proves it again this weekend at Misano with his superb second place snatched in the last laps in front of 10,000 spectators Italians. An Italian rider who performs in Italy on an Italian motorcycle: no need to draw a picture! The tifosis will even forgive him for taxing the child of the country, Valentino Rossi.
His performance went even less unnoticed as the 2018 Moto2 world champion was back on the handlebars for the first time after missing three races following his fractured right knee at the Czech Republic GP. The Pramac pilot, who was using a crutch to walk in the paddock, admits to having gritted his teeth…
"I realized I could fight for the win this morning in the warm-up," he confesses. "It was difficult because my leg hurts, but I did the fourth fastest time: it gave me confidence for the race. The last four laps were very difficult because my knee was hurting me a lot, but it was is a very important result for me as well as for Ducati ".
And for good reason: "Pecco" is the best representative of the Italian manufacturer in San Marino, far ahead of Andrea Dovizioso (7th), Jack Miller (8th) and the non-existent Danilo Petrucci (16th). Also far ahead of Johann Zarco since 18 seconds separate the two rivals…
"I don’t know if that secures me a place at Ducati Factory, you have to wait and see what they tell me", comments Bagnaia, who had already distinguished himself at the Andalusian GP by occupying the forefront for a long time. before being betrayed by the V4 of his Desmosedici.
This frustrating white result – combined with the three forfeits necessary for his convalescence – does not prevent him from occupying 14th place in the provisional with 29 points, only two short lengths behind Johann Zarco who precedes him in the standings with 31 units! Likely that Ducati’s decision will be correlated with the final result of this duel to be followed on MNC !
San Marino MotoGP 2020 results
- Franco MORBIDELLI Yamaha 42’02.272
- Francesco BAGNAIA Ducati +2.217
- Joan MIR Suzuki +2.290
- Valentino ROSSI Yamaha +2.643
- Alex RINS Suzuki +4.044
- Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha +5.383
- Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati +10.358
- Jack MILLER Ducati +11.155
- Takaaki NAKAGAMI Honda +10.839
- Pol ESPARGARO KTM +12.030
- Miguel OLIVEIRA KTM +12.376
- Brad BINDER KTM +12.405
- Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia +15.142
- Iker LECUONA KTM +19.914
- Johann ZARCO Ducati +20.152
- Danilo PETRUCCI Ducati +22.094
- Alex MARQUEZ Honda +22.473
- Stefan BRADL Honda +37.856
- Bradley SMITH Aprilia + 1’18.831
Not classified
- Tito RABAT Ducati 5 Tours
- Fabio QUARTARARO Yamaha 9 Laps
Provisional MotoGP 2020 classification after the San Marino GP in Misano
- Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati 76
- Fabio QUARTARARO Yamaha 70
- Jack MILLER Ducati 64
- Joan MIR Suzuki 60
- Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha 58
- Valentino ROSSI Yamaha 58
- Franco MORBIDELLI Yamaha 57
- Brad BINDER KTM 53
- Takaaki NAKAGAMI Honda 53
- Miguel OLIVEIRA KTM 48
- Pol ESPARGARO KTM 41
- Alex RINS Suzuki 40
- Johann ZARCO Ducati 31
- Francesco BAGNAIA Ducati 29
- Danilo PETRUCCI Ducati 25
- Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia 18
- Alex MARQUEZ Honda 15
- Iker LECUONA KTM 15
- Bradley SMITH Aprilia 8
- Tito RABAT Ducati 7
- Cal CRUTCHLOW Honda 7
- Michele PIRRO Ducati 4
MotoGP 2020 manufacturers and teams rankings in Misano
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