JOHANN ZARC0
2020 is a massive year for Johann Zarco. After a fantastic two years with Yamaha at Tech3, Zarco decided to switch to the factory KTM team. There were problems from the start and their relationship deteriorated. The Frenchman publicly slated the bike and was removed from the team halfway through the year. Following a brief stint with LCR Honda he was then left without a ride before Ducati gave him a lifeline at Avinita Racing. But this new chapter hasn’t got off to the best of starts either, with Zarco again publicly slating the team. However, his contract is direct with the Italian factory and the deal has raised Avintia’s status within the Ducati ranks. As a result, they now have four extra Ducati Corse engineers and Zarco has been promised upgrades throughout the year – as long as he performs.
The GP19 Ducati he’ll ride in Qatar will be the fourth different bike Zarco’s ridden in the last 18 months so the big question is whether he’ll be able to adapt to suit the powerful but unique Ducati. His style seemed best suited to the smooth and controllable Yamaha but was a complete mismatch with the aggressive KTM.
Realistically, Zarco will be aiming to be in the top 10 as often as possible. He’ll also be looking to compete with the factory and Pramac Ducati riders on a weekly basis. If he does that, he’ll be in a good position for 2021. Failure could lead to Zarco being out of MotoGP entirely as he’ll have nowhere else to go.
● ‘Failure could leave him out of MotoGP entirely’