MotoGP #59 - Spanning en sensatie in Brno

Johann Zarco, on the other hand, may well have ended his career. By quitting at the end of 2019, he leaves himself with nowhere to go. Everyone bar Takaaki Nakagami is under contract for 2020, and Nakagami will almost certainly agree terms with HRC in the next couple of weeks. There are no seats in MotoGP available for 2020, which leaves Zarco with only the option of Moto2, WorldSBK, or spending a year as a test rider.

When he announced he was leaving, he said he hoped to have news of his future by Silverstone. This seems rather optimistic: there is no room in MotoGP, and unless he has already decided to move back to Moto2 (where there are plenty of teams willing to have him, it seems, including the Petronas squad, if rumor is to be believed). But wherever he ends up, he will not find it easy to get back into MotoGP.

Why not? Zarco has everything against him. The Frenchman made a huge impact when he entered MotoGP, leading his very first race, getting on the front row and finishing on the podium in just his fifth race. It seemed only a matter of time before he won a race on the Tech3 Yamaha.

But that never happened. And when he switched to KTM, he was signed to lead the project and try to get the RC16 on the podium. That hasn't happened either, Pol Espargaro having comprehensively beaten Zarco in just about every way at KTM. Try as he might, Zarco simply could not find a way to ride the RC16, and was beaten not just by his teammate, but also by MotoGP rookie Miguel Oliveira riding in the Tech3 satellite team.

So the memory team managers will have of Johann Zarco is of a rider who gave up when faced with a tough challenge, a rider who was nearly successful, but couldn't quite pull off a win on the Yamaha, the easiest bike to ride on the grid. When they come to make their choices for 2021, he will have those strikes against him.

No series for old men

Making things even worse for Zarco is his age. Right now, he is 29. By the time he is talking to MotoGP teams for 2021, he will be 30. When MotoGP team managers look for new riders, they look for one of two things: either an established champion with a record of winning, or an up-and-coming youngster they believe they can shape into a future champion, or at least a race winner.

Johann Zarco is neither of those things. Jorge Lorenzo may be three years older than Zarco, but he has three MotoGP titles, 47 premier class wins, and a proven record on both the Yamaha and Ducati, where he might get another chance. Zarco has six podiums on a Yamaha, and Fabio Quartararo has already matched Zarco's rookie podium tally, and looks like being on his way to more.

Fabio Quartararo is a problem in another respect as well. Dorna wanted a successful French rider in MotoGP to help them market the sport in France. For the past two years, that rider was Johann Zarco. But Quartararo is younger, arguably faster, livelier, more fun. He is a cheerful young lad, where Zarco can be a little too earnest. Where Zarco comes out with philosophical aphorisms, Quartararo is quick with a joke and a witty quip. The latter is much easier to sell to casual sports fans.

Looking to 2021, there is likely to be an influx of young riders from Moto2 to fill the grid in MotoGP, as older riders move on. Zarco will be competing with the likes of Lorenzo Baldassarri, Jorge Navarro, Alex Márquez, Luca Marini, Enea Bastianini, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Remy Gardener, Augusto Fernandez. MotoGP team managers will be more inclined to take a chance on a young rider and hope for a big upside, rather than risk taking Zarco, a rider with a known upside but serious flaws.

Is it the end?

Do I think Johann Zarco deserves another shot in MotoGP? Absolutely. On the right bike, he can compete for podiums and wins. But I fear that the Frenchman's decision to leave KTM at the end of the year without an obvious destination will mean he won't necessarily get one. He is only a known quantity on the Yamaha, which leaves the Petronas squad as the only obvious destination (especially after Suzuki promised him a contract, then pulled out of the deal a few months later).

Do Petronas want to take their chance on Zarco, or give the ride to a younger rider? That is not an easy question to answer. They might feel that Zarco is their best chance of success, or they may want a younger rider. There are no guarantees for Zarco.

Teams of other manufacturers are likely to be even more wary of the Frenchman. He left KTM, so what guarantee do they have that he will see out his contract, or be able to ride a very different bike to the Yamaha? They may feel their chances are better with other, potentially more adaptable riders.

Seen from the perspective of the press room, Zarco appears to have few options. I fear that this year will be the last time we see the Frenchman in the MotoGP class. He may come to regret his decision to leave KTM. Then again, Zarco being of a particularly philosophical bent, there is every chance he won't, and he may be happy as the man to beat in Moto2. Only time will tell.

RedFever007	zondag 4 augustus 2019 @ 15:20
	MOTOGP SEIZOEN 2018 VORIG SEIZOEN (2017) Wereldkampioen: Marc Márquez Tweede: Andrea Dovizioso Derde: Maverick Viñales Eervolle vermelding Rotterdammer Bo Bendsneyder - debuteert dit jaar in Moto2 KALENDER 2018 TEAMS 2018 • Factory Teams SPOILER Team Repsol Honda Marc Márquez Dani Pedrosa Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Valentino Rossi Maverick Viñales Ducati Team Jorge Lorenzo Andrea Dovizioso Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Andrea Iannone Álex Rins Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Bradley Smith Pol Espargaró • Satellite Teams SPOILER Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aleix Espargaró Scott Redding LCR Honda Cal Crutchlow Takaaki Nakagami EG 0,0 Marc VDS Franco Morbidelli Thomas Lüthi Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Johann Zarco Hafizh Syahrin Reale Avintia Racing Xavier Siméon Tito Rabat Alma Pramac Racing Danilo Petrucci Jack Miller Ángel Nieto Team (voormalig: Pull&Bear Aspar) Karel Abraham Álvaro Bautista COUREURS 2018 UMBRELLA GIRLS Meer ladies IN MEMORY OF... Marco Simoncelli (1987 - 2011) Luis Salom (1991 - 2016) Nicky Hayden (1981 - 2017) VIDEOS NEW Valentino ROSSI TRIBUTE - Season 2016 MotoGP - Hymn For The Weekend Video niet gevonden. #RideOnKentuckyKid: Remembering Nicky Hayden MEER NODIG? MotoGP website Waar en wanneer in NL te bekijken Goeie analyses, info én een motorsportforum Motorsport Magazine: allerlei motorsport info Het laatste nieuws en uitslagen via de racesport-website Bo Bendsneyder - enige Nederlander in het gehele kampioenschap (Moto2) _{Nederlander Bo Bendsneyder} EN...HAVE FUN! #2018StartsNow: The wait is over as MotoGPâ„¢ testing begins _{De OP.}
RedFever007	zondag 4 augustus 2019 @ 15:21
	had geen goede TT sorry
shiz	zondag 4 augustus 2019 @ 15:21

Isdatzo	zondag 4 augustus 2019 @ 15:36

Nober	zondag 4 augustus 2019 @ 22:02
	Goed nieuws! Márquez heeft nul zeges op de Red Bull Ring.
Sinister-D-	zaterdag 10 augustus 2019 @ 14:52
	Nou, morgen weer appeltje-eitje voor MM93
Nober	zaterdag 10 augustus 2019 @ 14:54
	Pole position record voor Márquez Eurosport: "Knap gedaan"
PzKpfw	zaterdag 10 augustus 2019 @ 17:49
	Morgen dus lekker voetbal kijken ipv dit.
heywoodu	zaterdag 10 augustus 2019 @ 21:55
	Prima race van Zonta van den Goorbergh in de Rookies Cup, zat er de hele race goed bij en eindigt als 6e
Burner82	zaterdag 10 augustus 2019 @ 23:21
	Moto3 grid is flink door elkaar geschud. 16 rijders hebben straf gekregen. Snelste ronde in Q2 gecancelled.
Isdatzo	zaterdag 10 augustus 2019 @ 23:49
	quote: Op zaterdag 10 augustus 2019 23:21 schreef Burner82 het volgende: Moto3 grid is flink door elkaar geschud. 16 rijders hebben straf gekregen. Snelste ronde in Q2 gecancelled. Wat?
RedFever007	zondag 11 augustus 2019 @ 09:17
	quote: Op zaterdag 10 augustus 2019 23:21 schreef Burner82 het volgende: Moto3 grid is flink door elkaar geschud. 16 rijders hebben straf gekregen. Snelste ronde in Q2 gecancelled. McPhee op polo lees ik
Burner82	zondag 11 augustus 2019 @ 09:52
	quote: Op zaterdag 10 augustus 2019 23:49 schreef Isdatzo het volgende: [..] Wat? twitter: MotoGP twitterde op zaterdag 10-08-2019 om 19:52:13 FIM MotoGP Stewards 📋#Moto3 riders #5 (Mas), #14 (Arb) (#16 (Mig), #23 (Ant), #25 (Fer), #27 (Tob), #42 (Ram), #44 (Can), #48 (Dal), #55 (Fen), #71 (Sas), #76 (You), #79 (Ogu) and #84 (Kor) have had their fastest Q2 laps cancelled due to irresponsible riding#AustrianGP 🇦🇹 reageer retweet twitter: MotoGP twitterde op zaterdag 10-08-2019 om 19:55:01 FIM MotoGP Stewards ?#Moto3 riders #24 @TatsukiSuzuki24 and #54 @riccardorossi54 have been given a penalty of 12 grid positions due to irresponsible riding#AustrianGP ?? reageer retweet
heywoodu	zondag 11 augustus 2019 @ 09:52
	MotoE vandaag ook live op TV Over acht minuten, natte race.
heywoodu	zondag 11 augustus 2019 @ 09:52
	Vijf ronden
Burner82	zondag 11 augustus 2019 @ 09:57
	quote: Op zondag 11 augustus 2019 09:52 schreef heywoodu het volgende: Vijf ronden En nat
Sinister-D-	zondag 11 augustus 2019 @ 10:01
	Ben benieuwd....
heywoodu	zondag 11 augustus 2019 @ 10:06
	Verdomme, Granado
heywoodu	zondag 11 augustus 2019 @ 10:10
	Garzo
M.Melandri	zondag 11 augustus 2019 @ 10:14
	Was niet onaardig die MotoE