The shovel is out and it’s about Johann Zarco, probably one of the most discussed drivers of 2019 and not because of his sporting merits. The Frenchman is about to get back on the bike and race a lot earlier than expected and especially on Phillip Island. The indiscretion leaked by motorsport.com has been confirmed by the Moto Journal. Honda gives Johann a chance, but the LCR team has to do without Takaaki Nakagami, who has held the title for the last three world championship races.
This is not a sporting decision, but the consequence of the decision of the Japanese, who has to undergo the same operation as Marc Marquez last December. to strengthen his shoulder joint. The recovery time required for this type of surgery convinced Cal Crutchlow’s current teammates to foresee the surgery so he could be ready for the start of the 2020 season.
In fact, Nakagami has a valid contract for the next season so he’s definitely with Honda right now. It seems obvious, however, that Zarco’s bet on a Honda at this point in the season could also be a test for the French driver’s recruitment into HRC. Many think that Lorenzo and Honda’s relationship has deteriorated completely and that another season in these conditions would be impossible for both of them. Should the two split up, Zarco, as Marc Marquez’s team-mate, could be a very sensible choice for Honda.
Of course, KTM would not contradict this agreement, with Pit Beirer who has repeatedly stated that he is available to let Zarco go before the end of the season, both in terms of racing and as a tester in one of the competing teams.
From a certain point of view, only Yamaha could be easily damaged by Zarco’s full-time entry at Honda, which showed enormous interest in the Frenchman as a tester, replaced the disappointing Jonas Folger and decided to move on such an important figure as Silvano Galbusera to the test team for 2020, to consolidate them. Losing the chance of taking on what is likely Lin Jarvis’s first choice for the tester role could become a problem for the Iwata team.
The Frenchman has never stopped training and has always stated that this season too he is more than ready for a possible call to get back on track. Crutchlow had warned him of the difficulties of the current Honda, a bike that is definitely not easy to push to the limit, as we could see in the grim season from riders like Crutchlow, Lorenzo and Nakagami. Phillip Island, Sepang and Valencia: In short, these three races could be a tremendous opportunity for Zarco, but also a potentially big problem.