As the most recent winner on the course, Johann zarco was invited to the second press conference as a prelude to the Grand Prix MotoGP from Australia, along with Pedro Acosta and Jack Miller.
Of course, good memories were on the agenda, but not only that...
As usual, we report here his words during his debriefing, without the slightest formatting, and this evening directly transcribed from French.
Ladies and gentlemen, we welcome you to Phillip Island for the Qatar Airways Australian Grand Prix. This is round 17 of the MotoGP World Championship, the second of our two previous press conferences. We are delighted to welcome Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 rider Pedro Acosta, Pedro 6th in the World Championship. Last time in Japan he was the 3rd youngest rider to start from pole position in the premier class, and he has recently been on the podium at Aragon and Mandalika. To Pedro's right we welcome in front of his home crowd Red Bull KTM factory rider Jack Miller, 15th in the World Championship, Moto3 winner here 10 years ago Jack was in 2014, and two years ago this special weekend, when Turn 4 was named in Jack's honour here at his home track. Rounding out today's press conference we welcome Castrol Honda LCR Team rider Johann Zarco, 17th in the World Championship, winner of last year's Phillip Island race, his first MotoGP win, and of course it was a treat to see the back flip back here 12 months ago.
I come now to Johann Zarco, the LCR Honda rider. Johann, of course, last year's win was very popular here 12 months ago, it's great memories, we've seen the videos all week of the last lap, the celebrations, the back flip with the Australian fans: is it special for you to be back here at Phillip Island, a year after the incredible win?
Johann zarco : “It’s a nice feeling, definitely, to arrive on the island, even without thinking about last year’s win, but Phillip Island has a special taste. And when I arrived yesterday, the weather was fantastic, so you look around and you’re happy. Then I rode the bike in the morning on the track, and yeah, I had a good feeling in the last two corners, thinking about that moment when I was leading the race and getting that first win. But I’m impressed with the track because the corners are really special here, and I was able to win on a track where I’m impressed, which makes the taste, I don’t know, but maybe a little bit better. Hopefully we’ll have the chance to get closer to the others.”
I was going to say, of course Johann, that this year it’s a different challenge for you on the Honda. Twice, though, in the last five Grands Prix you’ve been in Q2, a great weekend at Mandalika with top 10 in the Sprint and the Grand Prix. So are you confident in your ability to fight for the top 10 again this weekend in Australia?
“It’s clear that the last two GPs have given me and the team a good boost. Even in Japan, Friday didn’t start very well, but the two races we’ve done have been very interesting. And here it seems that it’s not a track where there’s the problem of acceleration with wheelies, so I hope we can lose less time to the others, and if this theory works, it means that the step forward we made in Misano will be confirmed here, and that will be positive for Honda, knowing that they understand things and we can continue to move forward.”
It’s clear that Honda has been making improvements to the bike for some time, and it was confirmed in Japan that Romano Albesiano will be the technical director next year. Do you feel like there’s more optimism at Honda? Are you more confident that they’re working in the right direction to get the bike competitive again?
“Yes, I am confident. At the beginning of the year I said that I thought it was possible to reach the top 10 and fight in the top 10. Then, during the season, I clearly said, ‘OK, we have to forget about this kind of goal’, and now I have the chance to aim for the top 10 again, so it’s a good motivation. And they are making some changes, so anyway the Japanese have a way of working that is very impressive. So clearly the work is not something we have to doubt, but we have to understand in which direction to go, and it seems that with the last steps we have taken, we have had a breath of fresh air: ‘OK, this is my job’.”
If you have to bet on the title, who between Jorge and Pecco, and why?
“I would also say Jorge. I would like Jorge, because to have the chance to win the first title in MotoGP, for Pramac, which is a team that I like and before moving to another brand, it would be nice. So it would be cool for Jorge to get it.”
