        On the day that the MotoGP rookies and test riders completed their shakedown in Malaysia, team Pramac unveiled the Ducati Desmosedici bikes that its riders Jorge Mart&iacute;n and Johann Zarco will take out on track this year. Both men are expected to play a starring role this season, after a great 2021. The Frenchman won the title of best independent rider last year and now he intends to aim even higher. "I spent almost the entire winter focusing on my physical preparation ahead of the season&rdquo;, commented the double Moto2 world champion. "We&rsquo;ll be out at Sepang in a few days and I can&rsquo;t wait to be back on track, working to regain the right feeling with the Ducati so that I&rsquo;m ready to fight up front in the first race". Zarco: "I need to be more consistent"  The Cannes native knows that he needs to improve in certain areas in order to be able to fight for the title: &ldquo;After a season like 2020, when we only ran a few races due to the pandemic, 2021 saw me struggle to maintain the right concentration all year long, and that meant I lost some consistency in the final races. This year&rsquo;s championship will be the longest ever, so I need to improve in that regard. That will be key if we still want to be fighting at the front come the end of the season&rdquo;. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, Jorge Mart&iacute;n aims high: &ldquo;I want top four in the championship&rdquo;       

During the Ducati Pramac presentation, the Frenchman spoke about his 2021 season and his ambitions for 2022: &ldquo;I want to be more consistent and run up front"

MotoGP, Zarco: “I struggled to maintain concentration in 2021”

A fantastic first half of the championship has attracted everyone&rsquo;s attention, Johann Zarco lying second in the standings, 34 points from leader Quartarato, also thanks to four podiums and some very consistent performances. Few expected such a start from the Pramac rider, who has been as quick as the factory riders on occasion, if not faster. As he himself said during an interview with Canal+ Sport France, the Frenchman is aiming very high.  &nbsp;Zarco sets out the goal: &ldquo;To dream of being world champion&rdquo;  Ducati has provided the two-time Moto2 world champion with a bike identical to that of the factory riders, and the results are proving the Bolognese managers right, having found in Zarco a rider who can also help with development. The season is long but his ideas are clear: &ldquo;The goal is to get ahead of Fabio, not be the first Ducati. With such a good position in the championship, the aim is to score more points and dream of being world champion. I crashed in Portugal and had some problems in Spain, but I di well at Le Mans-Mugello-Barcelona&ldquo;. Zarco also talks about his rivalry with Quartararo: &ldquo;Even though we&rsquo;re rivals, battled for the title all the way to the end would be great. This has never happened in France. We need to make the most of these exceptional years&rdquo;.  &nbsp;Austria is fertile ground for Ducati  The Red Bull Ring will host the next MotoGP races, a track that has looked kindly on Ducati in the past, the Italian manufacturer winning in 2016 with Andrea Iannone and in 2017-2019-2020 with Andrea Dovizioso: &ldquo;In Austria the bikes might have an advantage, but it won&rsquo;t be easy. But if we can put it all together, if I can raise my level as I hope to, I think I can score my first win and this would be great for the championship standings&rdquo;.  Translated by Heather Watson  MotoGP, Schwantz on Rossi&#39;s hypothetical retirement before the end of the season 

MotoGP is on a break and will return with the Styrian GP on 8 August, when the Ducati rider will try to close the gap to his fellow countryman &nbsp;

MotoGP, Zarco aims high: &ldquo;The goal is to get ahead of Quartararo&rdquo;

Never have two French riders been fighting for the title in the top class. Having produced some good riders in recent years, the French school has finally found two stars in Quartararo and Zarco, both of whom have been centre stage during this first half of the championship.  The Yamaha rider is currently favourite, with four race wins to date, as well as the category&rsquo;s point of reference considering Marquez is not yet 100%. Behind him, Johann Zarco is surprising many, leading the way for Ducati and competitive at every track. As he chases his fellow countryman, he is now looking for his first race win.  The history of French riders in the world championship   The French motorcycling movement has produced many strong riders over the years and yet they have scored just seven world championship from 1949 until now, specifically two 125 titles, three 250 victories and two Moto2 trophies. So no wins in the reigning class. A trend that could well be reversed this year.  The most successful French rider is in fact Johann Zarco, who holds two Moto2 titles, while we have to go back to 2008 to find other championship winners, when Mike Di Meglio beat Simone Corsi in 125. In 2000, Olivier Jacque won in 250 ahead of Nakano. The most representative French rider in the reigning class is probably Christian Sarron, the winner of a 250 title in 1984 and long-time protagonist in the 500 class. In 1989 he finished third behind Lawson and Rainey.  The turning point with Fabio Quartararo and Johann Zarco   The arrival of Johann Zarco and then Fabio Quartararo has come as a breath of fresh air for French motorcycling. The first has shown true talent, which exploded in 2015 when he won his first world title, which he immediately followed up with another the very next year. Zarco&rsquo;s partnership with Ducati has heightened his competitiveness in MotoGP, as proved by the four podiums that see him place second in the general standings behind Quartararo.  The &ldquo;Diablo&rdquo;&#39;s story is different. Having landed in Moto3 after two wins in the Spanish CEV, he was immediately pegged as the next big thing. But then negative results in the minor classes kept Fabio out of the spotlight. It was only once he moved up to MotoGP that he really found his way, becoming, already now, the most successful Frenchman of all time in the reigning class.  And so it is that, mid-championship, France is counting on this strong pair who currently lead the way in the standings. Quartararo and Zarco have been the quickest and most consistent in these first races, but it remains to be seen whether a Frenchman will finally be lifting the championship trophy come the end of the 2021 season.  Translated by Heather Watson  MotoGP, Puig warns: &ldquo;Marquez will be even fitter after the break&rdquo; 

With Fabio leading and Johann second, the French can count on two top riders as they seek a title the nation is yet to achieve in the reigning class

MotoGP: with Quartararo and Zarco, France believes in its first title

        Eight rounds in and the MotoGP championship standings are still pretty tight, Fabio Quartararo leading by just 22 points over Johann Zarco and 32 and 31 points respectively over the two factory Ducati riders, Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia. But while all three race with the Desmosedici GP, none of them has proved to be consistent enough to stand out as the true Borgo Panigale &lsquo;frontman&rsquo;. Analysing the trio  Of the three, only Miller has been able to win with this Ducati and after an uphill climb early on, the Australian redeemed himself, although he has since struggled to contend victory. Privateer Pramac rider Zarco has scored four second-place finishes to the delight of the Tuscan team, but two eighth places and a DNF weigh heavily in terms of the general standings. Not the case for 'comeback rider' Bagnaia. He lacks a race win but has been on the podium three times, effectively performing damage control in various situations. No real leader  Which of the three will be the real antagonist to Quartararo? This question cannot be answered for now, and yet we&rsquo;re almost halfway through the championship. The current situation in Ducati is very balanced and this allows them to stand up to the dominant Yamaha rider, yes, but it could be a double-edged sword in the long-term. Because the Bolognese manufacturer may be unable to benefit from hypothetical team orders, which could help when it comes to thwarting Quartararo, currently the best all-rounder on track. Translated by Heather Watson Moto3, Acosta: &ldquo;Before my mentality was either glory or the hospital&rdquo;       

Leader Quartararo is pursued by three Borgo Panigale riders but none of the three stand out over the others

MotoGP 2021, Ducati: three-pronged attack, but no ‘frontman’

        France is on top during this first part of the MotoGP season, thanks to both Fabio Quartararo and Johann Zarco. The Pramac rider, having just renewed his contract for 2022, set the fastest time in the second practice, exploiting the morning&rsquo;s solid base to continue with the work in the afternoon. Interviewed by Sky TV at the end of the day, the Frenchman outlined the day&rsquo;s work and what he needs to do ahead of qualifying and the race. &ldquo;We started with a good base&rdquo;  Johann Zarco is pleased with first place in practice but admits there are still a few small issues to iron out. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re trying to sort a few things, it&rsquo;s not easy&rdquo;, he says. &ldquo;We started with a really good base here and my last two laps were really incredible. I could exploit the Ducati in the right way, in both our strong and weak points. I followed Fabio to make up for the weak points and it went well. This means the bike has great potential, but it&rsquo;s not always easy to harness this&rdquo;. &ldquo;The straight and sector one our weak points&rdquo;  The Frenchman explains the Ducati&rsquo;s weak points, having had to follow Quartararo&rsquo;s Yamaha. &ldquo;The straight and sector one are our weak points, we brake hard but they don&rsquo;t force it and can lean more through the turn covering less metres than us.&rdquo; Zarco also touches on the goal he set himself last year, or rather the world title: &ldquo;I have everything I need, the bike has great potential. With the right automatism, it will come. If things go as they should this year, we can have fun. It would be a shame not to exploit this opportunity&rdquo;. Translated by Heather Watson Catalunya GP, Rossi: &ldquo;The changes in FP2 made things worse&rdquo;       

&ldquo;I started with a good base today&rdquo; says the team Pramac rider after setting the fastest time in FP2 ahead of Morbidelli

MotoGP Catalunya, Zarco: “The bike has great potential”

        A Sunday to forget for Enea Bastianini at Mugello. The Avintia rider saw his race compromised already on the sighting lap, as he prepared to take his place on the grid. At that very moment, as he exited Bucine, the Italian rookie could do nothing to avoid colliding with Johann Zarco, who suddenly braked in front of him to warm up his brakes before the start. Not his day              Visualizza questo post su Instagram  Un post condiviso da MotoGP (@motogp)    &ldquo;A tough Sunday for me, starting with Jason Dupasquier&rsquo;s death&rdquo;, commented Bastianini after the race. The 2020 Moto2 champion tried to explain what happened: &ldquo;As I headed out on track, I realised my suit airbag was not charged, so I wasn&rsquo;t really focusing. And as I reached the grid, Zarco stopped in front of me, coming out of the last corner&rdquo;. Contact was inevitable: &ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t avoid him and went right into him. I tried to get back to the garage as quickly as possible to get the second bike, but then I went down on lap one. I hope to make up for this at Barcelona, even if I&rsquo;m carrying some injuries. A real pity, as I was quick in warm-up and could have run a good race&rdquo;.  Translated by Heather Watson Moto3 GP Italy: Tom Luthi's touching message for Dupasquier       

Number 23 came into unfortunate contact with the Pramac rider prior to the start of the Italian GP

MotoGP Italy, Bastianini on the accident: “Zarco stopped in front of me”

Dal timore di uscire dalla MotoGP al vertice della stessa categoria in poco pi&ugrave; di un anno e mezzo: con Johann Zarco non ci si annoia mai. La paura di perdere la top class, il francese l&rsquo;ha provata nel 2019, dopo la rottura con la KTM con largo anticipo sulla scadenza del contratto da pilota ufficiale. Zarco ha dovuto cercare alternative, diventando il manager di se stesso, e quando Paolo Ciabatti e Gigi Dall&rsquo;Igna hanno bussato alla sua porta, mostrandogli fiducia, lui ha colto la palla al balzo.   Rilanciatosi con la Ducati-Avintia nel 2020, il trentenne si &egrave; esaltato subito con il Team Pramac, con due secondi posti e la leadership provvisoria del Mondiale 2021 dopo il Qatar. E la scivolata di Portimao causata da noie al cambio quando era in zona podio, non ha cambiato la sostanza. Il francese &egrave; tornato.  MotoGP, Francesco Guidotti: &ldquo;Vogliamo la prima vittoria&rdquo;  Avvio sorprendente   Te l&rsquo;aspettavi un inizio di stagione cos&igrave; positivo?  &ldquo;&Egrave; stata una sorpresa. Il sogno &egrave; giocarsi il titolo, ed essere costantemente tra i primi cinque poteva essere un buon avvio, ma sono arrivati subito due podi. La morale dei risultati ottenuti finora &egrave; che io, il team e la moto siamo pronti per lottare per i podi e per vincere. Desideravo iniziare proprio come Jack Miller aveva finito l&rsquo;anno scorso, al suo livello di guida: &egrave; stato positivo farlo subito, e se il Qatar poteva favorirci, ci siamo ripetuti anche a Portimao, dove sono partito in prima fila, e non era scontato. Sono contento di essere a questo livello: pi&ugrave; ci sono e pi&ugrave; capisco che ci sono ancora degli step che posso compiere&rdquo;.  &nbsp;Che ambiente hai trovato in Pramac?  &ldquo;&Egrave; un team tutto italiano, e ci sono due figure che avevo nel Team Avintia, il capotecnico Marco (Rigamonti) e l&rsquo;elettronico Erik (Chiarvesio). I meccanici sono nuovi, si conoscono benissimo tra loro e c&rsquo;&egrave; un ambiente sereno. Questo mi piace. Poi il rapporto con Francesco Guidotti &egrave; bello. L&rsquo;ho notato in Qatar: lui vive proprio le gare. Prima del via il pilota ha un feeling un po&rsquo; strano e lui si sente come me. Mi ricorda molto quando ero nel Team Ajo, dove anche l&igrave; c&rsquo;era un buon team manager, che prima di tutto era l&igrave; per le gare&quot;.   Com&rsquo;&egrave; lavorare con gli italiani?   &quot;Mi piace perch&eacute; con loro riesco a parlare con facilit&agrave;. Anch&rsquo;io ho la mia storia nelle moto perch&eacute; ho un po&rsquo; di esperienza e quando la condivido con loro mi accorgo che abbiamo vissuto le stesse cose, anche se in modo diverso. Questo aiuta la nostra relazione&rdquo;.  MotoGP: Jorge Martin e la difficile gestione del successo  Quella con Pramac &egrave; la tua grande occasione?  &ldquo;In passato ne ho avute, per esempio in Moto2. In MotoGP con la Yamaha ho vissuto un bel periodo, ma quello attuale &egrave; un altro momento da cogliere. Come sportivo &egrave; tutto a posto, c&rsquo;&egrave; una bella moto, e poi un team capace. Sogno il titolo, ma anche finire tra i primi tre sarebbe sinonimo di una grande stagione, che mi farebbe pensare all&rsquo;anno successivo con la voglia di puntare al Mondiale&quot;.    &quot;Bagnaia &egrave; una macchina&quot;   Visti i valori in pista e il tuo potenziale, ti senti un candidato al campionato?   &quot;Credo di s&igrave;, ma devo compiere ulteriori step a livello di fiducia e di guida su questa moto. Fare un po&rsquo; come Pecco Bagnaia, che gestisce la moto: se riesco ad avere il suo stesso feeling alla guida, unito alle cose che so fare io, credo che avr&ograve; tante carte in mano per il titolo. Adesso non le ho ancora, ma posso giocarmi qualcosa. Ci sono vicino&rdquo;.  Pensando ai due piloti ufficiali Ducati, Miller e Bagnaia, cosa vorresti prendere da loro?  &ldquo;Quando ha tutto a posto, Pecco &egrave; una macchina, sfrutta la Ducati perfettamente: usata in questo modo, diventa la moto migliore. Anche nelle qualifiche, lui riesce a mettere tre decimi tra s&eacute; e gli altri, noi invece abbiamo gap di pochi millesimi. Da Jack prenderei la mentalit&agrave;, si diverte tanto, &egrave; forse meno preciso di Pecco, ma quando c&rsquo;&egrave; un piccolo problema sa andare oltre. &Egrave; una caratteristica da vero pilota. Anche quando a Portimao mi ha fatto salire sulla sua moto per tornare al box: soltanto lui fa queste cose. Riesce a essere concentrato in modo performante, ma dopo la bandiera a scacchi &egrave; l&igrave; per divertirsi. &Egrave; la mentalit&agrave; giusta nello sport&rdquo;.  Nel tuo box invece c&rsquo;&egrave; Jorge Martin, un debuttante che ha gi&agrave; fatto vedere di che pasta &egrave; fatto, come ti trovi con lui?  &ldquo;Benissimo. &Egrave; giovane, mi sento come il suo fratello maggiore. Senza dargli consigli, perch&eacute; siamo sempre avversari, ma se le cose gli vanno bene sono contento per lui. Il secondo weekend del Qatar, con il nostro doppio podio, &egrave; stato bellissimo e domenica sera l&rsquo;ho abbracciato. Eravamo contenti entrambi, per noi e per il team&quot;.    Il rapporto con Ducati   Con la Ducati &egrave; iniziata la tua rinascita: che rapporto ti lega a questa Casa?   &quot;Tutto &egrave; iniziato a novembre 2019, quando mi hanno dato l&rsquo;opportunit&agrave; di rinascere. C&rsquo;&egrave; un bel rapporto di fiducia con Gigi (Dall&rsquo;Igna), quando vado bene mi fanno sentire dentro il progetto. Poi hanno anche moto stradali di alto livello, come la Panigale con cui mi posso allenare. Basta mettere due gomme da asciutto e mi posso allenare in modo utile. Sono gli unici ad avere una moto cos&igrave; pronta per la pista senza dover fare nulla. Poi si pu&ograve; sempre migliorare, perch&eacute; con quella &ldquo;standard&rdquo; noi piloti di MotoGP tocchiamo il limite subito, ma gi&agrave; cos&igrave; ti danno la possibilit&agrave; di allenarti a 300 km/h. Gi&agrave; soltanto per questo mi sono innamorato della Marca&rdquo;.  Guidi una Ducati anche nel tempo libero?  &ldquo;S&igrave;, la Multistrada, e questo &egrave; l&rsquo;altro aspetto che fa amare la Ducati. L&igrave; si tocca un altro spirito. Non sono pi&ugrave; le gare, ma facendo un giro puoi conoscere anche tanti appassionati e avvicinarti a loro, quelli che poi sognano guardando la MotoGP. Peccato non si possa fare il World Ducati Week: appena ho firmato, la prima cosa che mi ha chiesto Ciabatti &egrave; stata di tenere quel weekend libero per quell&rsquo;evento. Spero di poterci andare presto&quot;.&nbsp;  Sul podio del GP Doha hai inscenato un duetto con Fabio Quartararo, cantando la Marsigliese. Quali sono i vostri rapporti da rivali e connazionali?   &quot;Buonissimi, &egrave; un po&rsquo; la stessa relazione che ho con Martin. Io e Fabio siamo di generazioni differenti ma puntiamo allo stesso obiettivo. La Francia del motociclismo ha bisogno di crescere, di avere un&rsquo;immagine pi&ugrave; bella e globale, non soltanto per gli appassionati. Grazie a me e Fabio, ora possiamo far parlare della MotoGP a livello nazionale. A Losail lui ha vinto, davanti a me, e avevo voglia di godermi quel momento. Allora ho cantato l&rsquo;inno. Lui vince un GP ma &egrave; timido, se lo fai un po&rsquo; ridere poi si lascia andare. Ho pi&ugrave; anni di lui, so che quei momenti bisogna viverli, senza esitare&rdquo;.  Quando toccher&agrave; a te far suonare la Marsigliese?  &ldquo;Visto che la moto pu&ograve; andare forte dappertutto, pu&ograve; succedere in ogni momento. Magari a Jerez, anche se &egrave; una pista pi&ugrave; piccola e forse pi&ugrave; complicata per la Ducati, ma credo che si possa fare qualcosa di bello. Se non avverr&agrave; l&igrave;, poi ci sono Le Mans &ndash; e l&igrave; sarebbe ovviamente bellissimo &ndash; e il Mugello, dove sulla carta forse abbiamo pi&ugrave; possibilit&agrave;&quot;.  Alex Rins e Maverick Vi&ntilde;ales stanno per diventare pap&agrave;: fai mai anche tu questi pensieri?   &quot;Adesso con il Covid-19 la vita &egrave; troppo strana, non posso pensare che il mio bambino, ci&ograve; che amer&ograve; di pi&ugrave; in assoluto, possa vivere questo mondo strano. Purtroppo non c&rsquo;&egrave; la libert&agrave;. Anche se io so di essere un privilegiato &ndash; la mia vita &egrave; bellissima, posso correre, posso fare tante cose &ndash; quando mi fermo a riflettere, sono triste. &Egrave; bello l&rsquo;amore, cos&igrave; come l&rsquo;idea di creare una famiglia, ma bisogna vedere com&rsquo;&egrave; la situazione che ci circonda. Meglio aspettare&rdquo;.  Tra i tuoi tratti distintivi, c&rsquo;&egrave; anche la capacit&agrave; di suonare alcuni strumenti musicali, come pianoforte e chitarra. Da cosa nasce questa passione?  &ldquo;Da mio fratello, che sa suonare e cantare davvero bene. Quando sono andato a vivere da solo non avevo la TV e lui mi ha regalato una tastiera, cos&igrave; ho imparato a suonare il piano. E da due anni suono anche la chitarra. La porto in circuito &ndash; &egrave; molto pi&ugrave; comoda da trasportare rispetto al pianoforte! &ndash; e mi diverto tanto. Imparare a suonare ti fa crescere: se non riesci a fare qualcosa, con la pratica e la dedizione poi fai progressi&quot;.  E chi &egrave; oggi Johann Zarco?   &quot;Un uomo, non pi&ugrave; un ragazzo, che ha vissuto diverse situazioni. Non tutto &egrave; stato facile, ma alla fine ho fatto esperienza: sono un uomo che vuole essere ancora uno sportivo di alto livello e con tanta voglia di vincere. Ed &egrave; questo che mi avvicina allo Zarco di dieci anni fa: stesso obiettivo, ma pi&ugrave; esperienza&rdquo;.  MotoGP Spagna, classifica piloti aggiornata: l&#39;Italia s&#39;&egrave; desta con Bagnaia 

&quot;Guidare il Mondiale, dopo i due podi in Qatar, mi ha fatto comprendere che ci sono tutte le condizioni per concretizzare il desiderio pi&ugrave; grande: io, la moto e il team siamo in grado di puntare al titolo&quot;, ci ha raccontato il francese in esclusiva

MotoGP: Johann Zarco: &ldquo;Grazie Ducati, sono rinato&rdquo;

In a season in which Team Pramac appeared to start on the right foot, or in the right gear, the squad&nbsp;suffered a setback during the third race of the year at Portim&atilde;o. The Portuguese round was one to forget for Francesco Guidotti&rsquo;s team, a double dose of bad luck seeing both riders exit stage left, albeit in different ways.  Surgery for Martin, when will he return?   First, rookie Jorge Martin was touched by bad luck when he crashed out of free practice 3 on Saturday. It was a serious incident, and the Spaniard was unlucky to be involved, but lucky in that his injuries weren&rsquo;t worse. In the immediate aftermath, he remained on the ground for a prolonged period, having lost consciousness as he rolled in the gravel. He was taken first to the circuit medical centre and then to hospital in a helicopter. The prognosis? A fracture to his right malleolus and a fractured right thumb. He&rsquo;s already undergone surgery in Barcelona and has assured his fans with a message on social media: &ldquo;Not my best day, trust me. I&rsquo;m in a lot of pain but I&rsquo;m the Martinator!&rdquo;. It is not yet known whether he will be ready to race at Jerez on 2 May, but if he is there, he clearly won&rsquo;t be 100% fit.  Zarco: from Top to Flop   On the other side of the garage, Johann Zarco. The Frenchman arrived in Portugal as championship leader. And with two second-place finishes in the first two races, he had also demonstrated to be the strongest of the Ducati riders. While Ducati factory riders Bagnaia and Miller and Pramac rider Martin have a more &lsquo;aggressive&rsquo; style, the Frenchman&rsquo;s smoother riding style appears better suited to the Desmosedici. And yet this wasn&rsquo;t in evidence at Portim&atilde;o. While fighting at the front, the Frenchman suffered a fall, missing out on a possible podium finish while also losing his championship lead. It appears that the crash was caused by a gearbox problem. The incident sees him slide from first to fourth in the general standings, now 19 points behind leader Fabio Quartararo. And Francesco Bagnaia has now moved ahead of him too, thanks to his second-place finish in Portugal.&nbsp;  Zarco will show his fighting spirit   So if the first two races gave Pramac the impression that the season would be a bed of roses, things have now taken a turn, Portim&atilde;o bringing them a double &ldquo;0&rdquo;. But although the result is not easy to digest, perhaps things are not as bad as they look. While Jorge Martin&rsquo;s situation remains a little unstable, the same can&rsquo;t be said of the Frenchman, who now prepares for Jerez and then Le Mans, his home round. His chances of returning to the top are good, added to which there is his determination to fight back, which could bode well for Team Pramac. Johann is up against many strong riders, but we&rsquo;re sure he won&rsquo;t hold back. After the KTM debacle and the Avintia transition year, the Frenchman is now part of the kind of team he&rsquo;d been dreaming of, so one crash isn&rsquo;t about to unsettle him: &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll start over with even more enthusiasm at Jerez&rdquo; &ndash; he said after Sunday&rsquo;s race. And his calm, &ldquo;zen&rdquo; nature can only be of benefit.  Translated by Heather Watson  MotoGP Portugal: Marc Marquez, the return of the injured warrior 

The Frenchman crashed during the Portim&atilde;o race, also losing the championship lead. But Zarco fought hard to be part of a team like Pramac and won&rsquo;t give up easily

MotoGP: black weekend for Pramac, is Zarco&rsquo;s moment of &ldquo;glory&rdquo; already over?

        In the first rounds of the season at Losail, team Pramac has proved very impressive. The Tuscan time scored excellent results, with two podiums for Johann Zarco and a third place for rookie Jorge Martin, as well as double pole position in the Doha qualifying sessions. A great way to celebrate the team&rsquo;s twentieth anniversary in the top class. Francesco Guidotti, what is behind this double podium? "A great deal of work and preparation on the part of the riders and technicians, a bike and the kind of technical support that has allowed us to do it, and a dash of good luck, which never hurts. We are working to keep everything going and personalise the riders&rsquo; needs. They have different characters, ages and personalities so need to be managed in different ways. We try to make them comfortable, help them where needed and showcase their characteristics.&rdquo; How much does this result mean to you? "It&rsquo;s a wonderful surprise, as is seeing Zarco as championship leader, though there&rsquo;s a risk it will become a significant responsibility. In the meantime, we&rsquo;re enjoying it, no one can take it away from this and it&rsquo;s great." The team has worked with Ducati since 2005, how has the relationship changed over the years? "After Dall&rsquo;Igna arrived (2015), the bike was totally redesigned and in the space of two years we were given a factory bike. The commitment doubled in 2019, but then from Iannone on, we have a kind of &lsquo;nursery&rsquo; for riders, where they can gain experience in a relatively low-pressure environment before moving to the factory team to consolidate the project. The relationship has brought significant results, from both a technical and sporting standpoint&rdquo;. Four riders have moved to the factory team so far, namely Iannone, Danilo Petrucci and current riders Jack Miller and Pecco Bagnaia. Do you see this continuing? "We all hope so. But we also hope that the turnover is not too fast. Seeing as Ducati now has two very promising young riders, perhaps there won&rsquo;t be the need to continue to churn out new talents. And perhaps we too can achieve something with our riders, seeing as they tend to win after leaving us&hellip;" In fact, all you are missing right now is the win. "We&rsquo;ve just missed out on it by a fraction of a second on several occasions. And of course we want to win. But we&rsquo;re not short on satisfaction, also on a technical level. We feel part of the project, Ducati supplies first-rate material and we have six engineers who support us on a daily basis. What we do is also thanks to their great support". What is your mission in MotoGP? "To support the manufacturer in every way while also trying to fully exploit everything we have available. Technical management is a Ducati prerogative, but we have structured ourselves so as to be able to fully exploit this possibility". Can a private team ever win the MotoGP title? "It&rsquo;s a bit of a thorny question. We take it race by race, but it&rsquo;s more difficult long-term. On a factory team, the riders are sharper, if only because they are more experienced, and they are supported by people who are used to managing the pressure and everything a season can bring.&rdquo; How is the new line-up? "There was immediate harmony, as if we&rsquo;d known each other for years. When you talk and immediately understand each other it&rsquo;s a lot easier, and there&rsquo;s a really nice, relaxed atmosphere among the mechanics, technicians and also between the two riders. This is down to the riders, who arrive with complete faith in our abilities. We wanted them and have welcomed them with great pleasure.&rdquo; What are Zarco and Martin&rsquo;s strengths? "Zarco has experience and has won two titles, aspects that can help him to grow further. Martin is enthusiastic, open and demonstrates a particular ability to adapt. He already has the situation under control and uses all the bike controls." So when do you expect a win? "As soon as possible. Any Sunday might be the right one. Our goal each year is to take a step closer to the factory bikes. So when the win comes, it will be too late but always very welcome&rdquo;. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP: Johann Zarco, from rags to riches!       

In what is team Pramac&rsquo;s twentieth season, the riders have scored three podiums in the first two races and now aim to win

MotoGP, Guidotti: “A surprising start for Pramac. The win? As soon as possible”

        Over recent years, Johann Zarco&rsquo;s career has been quite troubled, but in his fifth year in the top class he now finds himself leading the championship. He closed both of the Qatar races in second place, behind the two official Yamaha riders, scoring his first podium since Brno last year. But let&rsquo;s take a step back. A decidedly good start  Johann was crowned Moto2 world champion in 2015 and successfully defended his title the following year. In 2017, it was time to move to the reigning class, where he spent the first two years with team Tech 3 - French like him - and immediately did well on the Yamaha. Three podiums and two pole positions in his first year, three podiums the following year and sixth overall in the championship in both years. His big opportunity came in 2019, when he signed for KTM. The Austrian manufacturer had debuted in MotoGP in 2017 and so was still in a development phase, and the partnership between the two parties didn&rsquo;t get off to the best start. The unexpected divorce  So much so that the Frenchman (who in the meantime also split from his manager) decided to pull out of his two-year contract and only race until the end of the first year. Ultimately, the Austrian manufacturer opted to let him go after the Misano GP. This unexpected turn saw Zarco suddenly without a ride. He rounded out the year riding the team LCR Honda, standing in for Takaaki Nakagami when he underwent shoulder surgery. And then, the rebirth  In November 2019, Zarco was evaluating the possibility of returning to Moto2, a class that had already given him so much, but then came the call from Ducati management. Someone still believed in him. And the man in question was Ducati Corse General Manager Gigi Dall&rsquo;Igna, who wanted to meet him. That was the turning point, as the Frenchman was hired to ride for Esponsorama Avintia for the 2020 season.&nbsp;The team made a solid step forward with Zarco&rsquo;s arrival, and the good results saw him promoted to team Pramac Racing this season. Having started the year with a double second place, Zarco seems to have regained the kind of serenity and balance that he&rsquo;d been looking for. Time will tell&hellip; Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP Doha: Ducati, this won't do!       

He almost lost out on a ride in MotoGP and was considering a return to Moto2, then came the call from Dall&rsquo;Igna and Ciabatti, and now the Frenchman is serene once more

MotoGP: Johann Zarco, from rags to riches!

Team Pramac Racing is the Ducati satellite team of reference, its 2020 Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia now having moved up to the factory team. Just as Andrea Iannone and Danilo Petrucci did in the past. Paolo Campinoti is proud to present plans for the new season: &quot;We&rsquo;re ready for 2021 - comments the Pramac CEO - it&rsquo;ll be Pramac Racing&rsquo;s twentieth season in MotoGP. And this year we can celebrate with four riders, factory entries Bagnaia and Miller, and new recruits Martin and Zarco. We know we can do well, and are once again aiming high&quot;.  The expert and the rookie, the Frenchman and the Spaniard, the two-time Moto2 champion and the 2018 Moto3 champion. With Johann Zarco and Jorge Martin, team Pramac renews its commitment: &quot;This will be my second season with Ducati &ndash; states Zarco &ndash; so it would be great to be back on the podium and thinking about winning. I believe I can aim high, seeing as I already know the Desmosedici. I&rsquo;ll use everything I learned last year and will have factory support, but it&rsquo;s on track that my positive thinking needs to come into its own&quot;.  The latest Pramac hire is equally enthusiastic: &quot;Being here is a dream - starts the Spaniard - my dad rode a Ducati and now I will too. I&rsquo;ll be starting from scratch but I know I can do well right from the outset with Pramac. Zarco is strong and I hope to learn from him. The Rookie of the Year goal is possible, though I have some stiff competition&quot;.  A confident air   Engineer Gigi Dall&#39;Igna heads up the MotoGP project for Ducati. With his skill and experience, he understands the value of the satellite team: &quot;Pramac is fundamental in terms of Ducati Corse technical development, as so many parts of the factory bikes are first tested by Pramac, which carries out this dedicated work. We want to win, exploiting our satellite team as we work towards a common goal&rdquo;.  Team manager Francesco Guidotti adds: &quot;In addition to the technical side, we also take pride in the human side. Our team has changed over the years, but it has always kept things fun, that&#39;s in its DNA. We&rsquo;ll have an enthusiastic rookie in Jorge, who can do well, while Johann is more experienced and will play a leading role. I expect a consistently high level from him. And we&rsquo;ll have two beautiful Desmosedici GPs. The latest Ducati versions available. Zarco will receive factory updates, Martin will use the first races as if they were pre-season tests&rdquo;.  Translated by Heather Watson  Moto2: Forward Racing aims high with Corsi and Baldassarri 

The Ducati satellite team has unveiled the Desmosedici GPs with which Johann and Jorge will compete in the reigning class. Francesco Guidotti is confident: &ldquo;Both riders can do well, it&rsquo;s going to be fun&rdquo;

MotoGP, Pramac launches its 2021 campaign with Zarco and Martin

        The MotoGP riders continue their training ahead of the new championship season, which is scheduled to get underway over the weekend of 28 march at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. On track with road bikes  Lapping on track, albeit with a road bike, remains one of the best ways to hone the reflexes needed for riding. Maverick Vi&ntilde;ales and Johann Zarco are well aware of this, and were out on track at the Almeria circuit earlier this week, riding a Yamaha R1 and a Panigale V4 S respectively. And Maverick and Johann were not alone, joined by Moto2 riders Yari Montella (Speed Up Racing) and Hector Garzo (Pons HP40). Maverick&rsquo;s cousin Isaac Vi&ntilde;ales was also present, as he prepares to compete in WorldSBK with Orelac Kawasaki. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP: Marquez and his "no" to testing, the first sign of a new Marc?       

The circuit is becoming increasingly popular with riders for the pre-season training opportunities it affords

MotoGP: Viñales and Zarco on track at Almeria

        Johann Zarco was one of three "special guests" at the Jerez SBK test. A test that never actually came to fruition. Faced with weather conditions that were far from ideal, the KRT Provec, Kawasaki Orelac, Pedercini, Aruba Ducati, Go Eleven, Barni and HRC teams chose not to waste days that they could instead use in a more favourable situation. Meanwhile, Michele Pirro and Zarco, unlike &lsquo;deserter&rsquo; Maverick Vinales, rode during the afternoon of day two, the Italian aboard the Panigale V4 R, and the Frenchman with the V4S 1100. A few hours before he headed out, we had a quick chat with Johann: "I got to Andalusia by plane &ndash; he explains &ndash; while my two collaborators loaded the bike in the van, left France and came here via road. I want and need to ride, because I want to be ready for the MotoGP Sepang test&rdquo;. A test that will be fundamental, ahead of a season that sees the two-time Moto2 champion fly the Ducati Pramac flag: "I&rsquo;m very pleased and very keen. I can&rsquo;t wait to get started. We have a good team, Jorge Martin and I have three world titles between us, two in Moto2 for me and one in Moto3 for him. I&rsquo;m sure we&rsquo;ll both do well&rdquo;. WorldSBK, Rabat's Ducati features aerodynamic brakes from... Moto2 The more we ride, the better  Johann is already focused. He knows that 2021 is a year of possibility for him. For Ducati, the new MotoGP pairings represent the present, but also the future. Zarco comments on the factory line-up: "Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia are young and strong, a promising pair&rdquo; and Pramac: "As I&rsquo;ve said, Martin and I make a good pair, we&rsquo;re going to have fun&rdquo;. Speaking of fun, and considering how the Frenchman is such a pure racer, we touch on a subject that wasn&rsquo;t just a hypothesis in 2020: &ldquo;Yes, there was a real chance I&rsquo;d move to SBK &ndash; he confirms &ndash; but in the end it didn&rsquo;t work out. I&rsquo;d like a future in the production-derived paddock, because with three races per weekend, it&rsquo;s three times the fun". Physically and mentally, it would be very different to the single race GP format he is used to. But he doesn't think that would pose a problem: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve very well prepared and trained &ndash; he points out &ndash; as are all the riders. The Superpole Race, on the limit from start to finish? Well, you&rsquo;re on the limit in a MotoGP race from the first to the twenty-fifth lap, so I can&rsquo;t really see any issues there&rdquo;. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, Ducati continues to pursue the title: agreement with Dorna until 2026       

Johann likes the production-derived series: "With three races per weekend, it&rsquo;s three times the fun. But my goal for now is to do well with team Pramac in MotoGP, Martin and I have three titles between us"

Ducati, Zarco: “A future in WorldSBK? Yes please!”

        Johann Zarco has been able to rebuild his career, after almost losing out on a MotoGP ride at the end of the 2019 when he decided to split from KTM, following that season's negative performance. His move to Avintia, a private team seemingly without big ambitions, allowed the Frenchman to both show his potential and earn a seat with the Pramac team for 2021. The run-off with Bagnaia  Zarco and Francesco Bagnaia were both in the mix to replace Andrea Dovizioso on the Ducati factory team. The results that Pecco achieved prior to his Brno injury proved decisive: his second-place finish at the first Misano weekend and the race he led the following week, prior to his crash, steered Ducati towards him, leaving Johann with a seat on Paolo Campinoti&rsquo;s team. Following this decision, Bagnaia then suffered a decline, clocking up four DNFs and a best result of sixth place at Barcelona, while Zarco finished an up-and-down season with five top ten finishes and two fifth-place finishes (France and Tereul), not forgetting the pole and third place he achieved in the Czech Republic. Results that allowed the Frenchman to score 77 points in the general standings, compared to the Italian&rsquo;s tally of 47. MotoGP, Dovizioso and Ducati: a fairy-tale without a happy ending Word of the day: consistency  In light of these results, was it the right choice to promote Pecco over Johann? Considering what #63 demonstrated during the first part of the season, the answer can only be yes. Look at the Andalusian GP, when Pecco was powering his Ducati to the podium until a technical problem forced him to retire. His hunger and ability to put his heart into everything he does impressed the Bolognese managers, who are betting on him for the future. At the same time, in order to do well in 2021, he&rsquo;ll need to solve the problems that arose during the second half of the year, when the 2018 Moto2 world champion saw his performance drop off. For his part, Zarco will be able to count on a competitive structure and direct support from Borgo Panigale: "I&rsquo;ve already seen that there&rsquo;s good support from Ducati. I feel like a factory rider but without almost any of the media pressure that a factory rider has. In effect, that&rsquo;s an advantage", he commented a few weeks ago. He has what he needs to do well, just consider the five podiums that the Miller-Bagnaia pair scored in 2020 (four for the Australian, one for the Italian). Pecco will need to do better, much better, to legitimise his promotion. He can&rsquo;t be fast in fits and spurts, and he must also demonstrate that he can cope with the pressure generated by a factory team. Calm and grip  If Bagnaia needs to take a step forward, the same can be said of Ducati: the atmosphere in the garage needs to be a lot calmer than it was with Andrea Dovizioso, while the bike needs to be competitive at all tracks. The Desmosedici should well suit the tyres introduced by Michelin, particularly in low temperatures. Without these conditions, it will be difficult for anyone to bother Joan Mir and Suzuki. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, Melandri: &ldquo;Dovizioso on Marquez's Honda? Nothing surprises me anymore&rdquo;       

Ducati has chosen Pecco rather than Johann for its factory team, alongside Miller. Only time will tell whether they&rsquo;ve made the right choice, but Ducati needs a step forward in terms of performance

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