Staying on the Ducati of the Prima Pramac team would have been easier, but Johann Zarco preferred to embrace the Honda project and race for the LCR team until 2025. HRC’s two-year offer had an influence, but the Frenchman truly believes he can help the company Japanese to have a breakthrough in MotoGP. Today the RC213V is the worst bike on the grid and there is a lot of effort to try to reverse the situation.
MotoGP, Zarco takes stock of the situation
The two-time Moto2 world champion, interviewed by Speedweek, explained that the feeling with the bike has even worsened with the passage of time: “Between Valencia, Malaysia and Qatar I had positive feelings and I expressed my assessment of the potential that could be exploited. This potential was lost in Portimao and Austin, I don’t know why. It’s harder than we thought, though not harder than I had imagined when I signed up. I’m motivated, I have the spirit of a twenty-year-old even though I’m 34“.
Even though results are lacking at this stage, Zarco feels well supported by the HRC technicians and is convinced that sooner or later a turning point will come: “Yes, I explain to him in detail what I do on the motorbike and I also question myself. I think Honda likes this, because when there is a problem I describe all the elements. I’m impressed by how many engineers there are, I think one day Honda will take the right path. The Japanese mentality has changed, the people on the team are trying to open up. Let’s try many things, it will take time. Concessions are important“.
What’s missing from the RC213V?
The MotoGP concessions allow Honda (and Yamaha) to be able to run more tests (260 tires allowed) and to also field the starting riders. Johann explained what his program should be: “I think I will have a total of three tests this year. It’s not much, but there is a number of tires that have to be divided between five drivers. The officers walked around a little more than us, but that’s normal. We will start from Mugello and then plan the rest“.
The LCR team rider then analyzed the main problems of the RC213V: “When you do a lot of laps and it becomes difficult to keep up with others, you have the feeling that there are problems everywhere. The bike is difficult to handle. We also haven’t made any progress on acceleration. These are our two biggest concerns. When you open the throttle, the motorcycle’s behavior worsens“. There is a lot of work to do, the right direction for development must be found and so far it has not been identified.
Photo: Team LCR Honda
