MotoGP: Johann Zarco feels he is “ready” to ride the factory Ducati
Johann Zarco has said that he feels he is ready to ride a factory bike once again.
Johann Zarco in 2019 was riding for the Red Bull KTM factory team, riding a factory bike will full works support to aid him in developing the bike, but, as we all know, this move was not successful with Zarco leaving the after just 13 races into his first year in the two-year deal.
Following a rescue mission by LCR Honda to run Zarco for the final races of the 2019 MotoGP season, Johann Zarco signed a deal with Ducati to race for them in their Avintia team with Ducati support on the GP19, a year old bike. Since this move, Zarco has found his feet once again, giving us a glimpse into the Zarco we knew in the Tech3 days.
Zarco scored Avintia’s first-ever podium finish at Brno this season, finishing third following an incredibly impressive long lap penalty where he rode on the penalty line with inch-perfect precision, not losing his third place to Fabio Quartararo who was behind.
These performances have put Zarco in contention for the factory Ducati seat which has been vacated by Andrea Dovizioso for 2021, it has already been confirmed that Zarco will remain with Ducati for the 2021 season with official support, however, it has not been confirmed if it is with the Pramac team or the factory team, Zarco faces a battle with Francesco Bagnaia for the ride.
Speaking on his potential move to the factory team, Zarco was open and honest, saying he feels he needs to score more podiums before he deserves the ride, but feels ready, “It’s pretty good news that I know I can continue with Ducati next year, but they still need time to decide where to put the riders, and clearly the factory bike is always a dream bike.
“With what I learned already from my experience in a factory team and the mistakes I did also, because I did a few mistakes, I think I would be ready to go [back] on the factory bike, but first of all I need to do more podiums and fight more for – not for victory – but be really constant, fighting for the podiums to deserve the factory bike.”
Speaking about Dovizioso and what is expected of their riders for 2020, Zarco continued, “The Ducati team are losing Dovizioso, and they can have it with Jack, but if they have two riders able to fight for podiums, this would be the main thing.
“Clearly the dream is the factory bike but staying with Ducati is the main thing, because a few months before we were just thinking with the Avintia team, it would have been a very complicated year and we see that with the support of Ducati I am doing well. It’s pretty good for the team and then me now I have the future a little bit more fixed, so I can only smile.”
