Phil Hall reckons Johann Zarco be the next Marc Marquez…
Phil Hall…..I’ve always enjoyed talent spotting. Seeing a young rider for the first time and watching his career grow is a very satisfying thing. That is why I am such a huge Marc Marquez fan.
The passion with which he goes about his racing is contagious and his apparent joy at every success shows that he hasn’t let his success go to his head.
And this is also why I have become a huge Johann Zarco fan. The Frenchman set the MotoGP scene on its head on Monday morning by leading the first race of the season and buggering off to a two-second lead (on a satellite bike) before falling victim to a wet patch on the track.
Even hardened veterans in the Press Corps were impressed and more than willing to forgive him the minor error that took him out of the race. When examined by MotoGP statistician Dr. Martin Raines, his tremendous early race pace created a number of noteworthy achievements..
- Zarco is the first French rider to set the fastest race lap in the MotoGP class.
- The last French rider to set the fastest lap in a premier-class grand prix was Christian Sarron in the 500cc GP at Anderstorp in Sweden in 1989. This was one of six occasions that Sarron set race fastest lap during his time in the 500cc class.
- In Addition to Sarron and Zarco, only two other French riders had set fastest race laps in the premier-class, both on just one occasion: Michel Rougerie (Belgium GP 1978) and Pierre Monneret (French GP 1954).
- Zarco is the first rider to lead the race on his debut in the MotoGP class since both Max Biaggi and Noriyuki Haga both led the 1998 Japanese Grand Prix when making their 500cc class GP debuts.
- Zarco is also the first French rider to lead a MotoGP race since the French GP in 2007 when both Sylvain Guintoli and Randy de Puniet crashed out of the race when leading.
- Zarco is the first rider making his race debut in the premier-class to set the fastest lap of the race since Marc Marquez in 2013.
- The last time that a rider from an Independent Yamaha team set the fastest lap of the race was at Jerez in 2012 with Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda).
Of course, you’d have to have been hiding under a rock to not have noticed him before. The first rider to win two Moto2 titles and the most successful French rider in Grand Prix racing ever, Zarco is a huge talent and, barring injury, should go right to the top.
Winner of the Red Bull Rookies Cup in 2007 and a dominant rider since moving up into the Moto2 category, it isn’t just that he has been a winning rider, it has been how he goes about winning that has been so all-fired impressive.
Defending a title is always difficult, especially in Moto2 where it is not uncommon to see a rider win one race and then finish 12th in the next race, so deep is the talent pool.
Zarco started out the season last year looking like he was going to wrap up the title before the Summer break interrupted the season, but then he ran into the rejuvenated Thomas Luthi, the Swiss rider lowering Zarco’s colours and making it look, at least for a couple of races, that the Frenchman might struggle to win the title at all.
A string of low (by his standards) placings while Luthi went on his winning way, caused some to question whether Johann had burned out, or perhaps, peaked too early. But the closing races of the season saw him come storming back into contention, destroying the top-class opposition to stamp his authority on the class with even more finality than he had in 2015.
In the second last race of the season, on a wet track, he waited till the very last minute to put in his charge for pole, securing it after the flag had waved by a massive two and a half seconds ahead of his nearest rival. In the ensuing race, he disappeared into the distance, demoralising his opposition.
It was, therefore, no surprise when Tech III Yamaha announced that they had signed him for the MotoGP team to replace one of their outgoing riders. After all, Tech III is a French team run by the erstwhile Frenchman, Herve Poncheral.
What was a surprise was that the team also announced that they were hiring the German, Jonas Folger, to partner Zarco. Folger, fast but inconsistent, just didn’t seem like a good “fit” for a team whose machinery was only just a little below the “works” kit.
However, pre-season testing seemed to indicate that Poncheral had been dead right, Folger easily out-pacing the Frenchman at every test. It transpired, later, that Folger was being supplied with a 2016-spec engine while Zarco was “making do” with a 2015-spec motor but Folger’s performances were still very impressive.
At Qatar, in sessions that were blighted with rain, the tables were turned. Zarco was third in FP3 while Folger was 12th. When the qualifying sessions were washed out and the grid positions allotted according to practice times, Zarco was in the box seat, fourth on combined times, Folger eighth. And so, much to the surprise and delight of all, Zarco led for six or so laps and looked more than comfortable doing so.
So why is it that Folger, a rider with much less on his CV than the decorated Zarco, seems to be getting the favoured treatment at the team?
Well, it seems that he is regarded as a more naturally talented rider than Zarco whereas Zarco is regarded as a “worker”. It seems odd from where I sit, but I’m not in a position to say so with authority. All I do know is that, so far at least, the “worker” has shone.
On a personal note, perhaps Zarco’s personality could also be seen to be a drawback. In an era where the personality of the rider rates far more highly than it should, Zarco scarcely fits the mould.
His is said to be quiet, introspective and thoughtful. His communication with the team is matter-of-fact and polite. In short, he is hardly the PR man’s rider of choice, but, fast as he is, that really shouldn’t matter.
Now I know that one swallow does not a summer make, but I will be watching the unfolding story of the Frenchman and the German with avid interest and I’d have to say that, at this stage, for lots of reasons, my money is firmly on Zarco.
By Phil Hall
