Zarco: A great first day

Johann Zarco proclaimed his first day aboard a MotoGP machine in 2018 to be “great,” as he clocked up 62 laps at Sepang while evaluating the benefits of Yamaha’s year-old M1.

The Tech 3 Yamaha garage had two 2017 bikes prepared for the Frenchman to test on day one, with Zarco dismissing questions regarding the exact specifications of his machines: “I don’t know,” he said. “It’s a 2017.

Zarco: A great first day

Johann Zarco proclaimed his first day aboard a MotoGP machine in 2018 to be “great,” as he clocked up 62 laps at Sepang while evaluating the benefits of Yamaha’s year-old M1.

The Tech 3 Yamaha garage had two 2017 bikes prepared for the Frenchman to test on day one, with Zarco dismissing questions regarding the exact specifications of his machines: “I don’t know,” he said. “It’s a 2017.

“I don’t want to think too much about technical things. I try to keep a free mind and give comments to the team.” And surprisingly, the Frenchman’s comments were the reverse of those complaints repeatedly echoed by Yamaha factory riders Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales last year.

His experiences on Sunday suggested the year-old M1s are an improvement in wet conditions. What’s more, the 27-year old found the ’17 M1 to look after its tyres better. “We don’t feel [them] dropping,” he commented.

Only outright speed was lacking, as Zarco ended the day eighth overall, 0.9s back of Dani Pedrosa’s quickest time. A time in the 1m 59s – like those achieved by Pedrosa, Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo – was not possible, he said – a feature that will be his main focus on Monday.

“A great first day,” said Zarco. “62 laps - it’s quite a lot and I’m physically feeling good. It was good to start the day in the wet conditions because it helps me to begin quietly. That was a great thing.

“I was pretty happy to feel good in the wet, not like the race here last October. Immediately [I had] good feelings and I wasn’t scared to crash so it means I had good feedback.

"In the wet I remember in the race [last October] I had some hot moments with the rear, almost crashing. Now I was going fast and feeling all on the bike. I never had a hot moment in the rain today. That makes me happy.

“In the dry we had some good conditions in the afternoon. There were not so many wet patches on the track. From that, I was working and I think we have a bike that is very constant; we don’t feel to much the tyre dropping.

“The only thing that is weak at the moment is I am not fast enough. When I want to be fast and go in the 59s or low 2ms, I’m not able to do it so that’s the work that we’re looking for.”

On the bikes he has been designated by Yamaha, Zarco said, “That’s the way to work. As I said, [they are] very constant. I don’t feel the tyre dropping. I think now we are competitive to be in the 2m 1s. When we find the solution to lap in the 2m 00s, then we will be very strong.”

Although he remains in the same satellite team, aboard year-old machinery, the double Moto2 world champion finds himself in a fairly different situation to this time a year ago.

Then Zarco was an unfancied rookie, attracting little attention during his first stints aboard MotoGP machinery. Twelve months on, and France’s most successful GP exponent is expected to regularly challenge for race wins while a full factory ride is touted for 2019.

Commenting on the change witnessed over the past twelve months, Zarco said, “I go up a lot. Last year I was having cramp everywhere on the body when I was on the bike. I was not used to the speed. Now being over 320kph I feel good, I understand the tyres so everything comes much easier and I can enjoy it even more.”

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