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Johann Zarco at the 2017 Grand Prix of Italy
NEWS

Zarco still gunning for ‘best rookie’ accolade despite wowing MotoGP

Jun 142017

2017 MotoGP has been very much a tale of twists and turns through the seven rounds of eighteen to-date. Depending on the track, surface, tyres, conditions and any given Sunday then Grand Prix has been bouncing between teams, brands and riders with four different winners.

One of the strongest stories has been the immediate impact of double Moto2 World Champion (and still reigning number one) Johann Zarco. Right from the moment the Monster Yamaha Tech3 rider blasted to the front of the Grand Prix of Qatar and his maiden bow the Frenchman and ‘rookie’ has been sliding the black #5 around the leading group and has already walked the podium with second place in front of his home fans at Le Mans.

Johann Zarco at the 2017 Grand Prix of Italy

Action images of Yamaha team at Catalunya Grand Prix
“I started the season wanting to be the best rookie and I’m leading at the moment; I’m very happy, and will keep focused on it, but I also want to keep focused on doing well and be happy [with my performance] every weekend,” he claimed in the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya last weekend and after his fifth top five result.

Zarco’s humility, concentration and strong pace both at the start and finale of MotoGP races have been solid assets. The 26 year old has also quickly understood the wide range of possibilities and limits of his Yamaha M1. He already has 15 Moto2 wins under his belt and is actually the most successful Grand Prix racer ever from France but now he is operating at the peak of motorcycle racing and appearing in magazines and on websites like his heroes before him.
Monster athletes compete in Le Mans for MotoGP stop
Johann Zarco at the 2017 Grand Prix of Qatar
Monster athletes at the 2017 MotoGP season is Losail, Qatar

“It feels good,” he smiles. “It’s nice to be in this position and I don’t look around too much. I enjoy [the attention] but I see that this moment of glory can be very short so I don’t rest. I want to be ‘this guy’ [a protagonist] as long as possible and I understood two years ago – finally - that just by pushing yourself all the time then the best things are coming.”

 

“But if you think and you try to control things too much then nothing comes,” he adds. “Just push and think simply: that’s my way to go.”

Images of signing session at Saturday's Rig Riot

Johann Zarco at the 2017 Grand Prix of Italy

Johann Zarco at the 2017 Grand Prix of Qatar
Races in Holland, Germany, Austria, Britain, Spain, Italy, Australia, Japan, Malaysia and Czech Republic still remain on the slate and for Zarco to tackle. He may have not altered his objective for a first attempt at MotoGP (and is confirmed on the books of Tech3 for 2018) but there is little doubting his potential for more silverware as part of the French satellite set-up.

“Repeating a podium during season will be fantastic,” he says. “If I’m fighting with the top guys and finish close, like I did in Texas, I will be very happy to. But at the moment, I’ll ‘dream’ about the podium and then in the race accept whatever I can take!”

Johann Zarco at the 2017 Grand Prix of Qatar
Johann’s steely approach and total lack of fear in tackling some of the biggest names in the sport has inevitably led to some finger pointing. Alvaro Baustista publicly accused Zarco of overly aggressive riding at Mugello, Italy two weeks ago. When informed of the talk JF fixes a rigid stare.

“But we did not overtake each other; only one time. That’s it. If they complain they can come to me to speak about that. The race is the race and I overtook them. I did not even touch them. I remember it was corner three and when you go fast to overtake you have to go a little bit wide; that's why.”

 

Zarco is here to stay and his narrative has been one of the standout strands of a gripping campaign so far. Perhaps the most exciting element comes with his claim that he is still very much learning and feeling his way around MotoGP: what could come next?

 

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