HALFWAY THROUGH THIS season it seemed like Johann Zarco's MotoGP career was over. The paddock rumour machine had VR46 rider Marco Bezzecchi gaining promotion to Pramac Ducati for 2024, so he could have a H latest-spec Desmosedici GP24 to ride alongside Jorge Martin. Thus, no room for the Frenchman who has ridden Ducatis for the last four seasons, scoring many podiums but no wins.
It was most likely that Ducati would demote Zarco to World Superbike, said the rumour machine.
But life moves fast in the MotoGP paddock. Honda's RC213V project is in meltdown, with Marc Márquez wanting to escape his 2024 contract and Alex Rins escaping his during August, quitting LCR Honda to ride a factory Yamaha next year, alongside Fabio Quartararo, so LCR owner Lucio Cecchinello contacted Zarco: do you want to ride an RC213V next year?
Not an offer many top MotoGP riders would greet with glee right now, because the RC213V has a deservedly nasty reputation, but an offer none the less to remain in the premier class of motorcycle racing.
Zarco has to be the perfect man for Honda. When a manufacturer is in a deep hole with its machinery, it does not need some young hotshot; it needs an old hand who has been around for years and knows what a MotoGP bike needs.
Even better, Zarco has been riding MotoGP's best motorcycle since 2020, so he can tell engineers exactly how the Desmosedici does what it does. Therefore, he could be Honda's most useful asset in its fightback.
And if HRC has any sense, it will also hire Zarco's Crew Chief Daniel Romagnoli and a few other Ducati brains, because that is how you make progress now. Look at KTM: the Austrian manufacturer has dramatically improved its RC16 by employing a bunch of Ducati engineers who know how to win in MotoGP.
Denne historien er fra September 2023-utgaven av Bike India.
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Denne historien er fra September 2023-utgaven av Bike India.
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Tussle for Supremacy
Having watched the racing action from afar during the first two rounds of the Honda Idemitsu Talent Cup (HITC), we got a chance to take a closer look at the proceedings in round three. Here is how the weekend zoomed past
Multiple Winners
The third round of the TVS One-make Championship saw the emergence of multiple winners as the favourites struggled to do the double-race win
The Title Fight Becomes More Intense
The weekend at Mandalika turned out to be a spectacular display where the title contenders, Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia, locked horns while Marc Márquez's and Enea Bastianini's chances at the title diminished
Andrea lannone is a WSBK Winner
Nicolo Bulega, Andrea Iannone, and Alvaro Bautista headlined the weekend for their respective Ducati teams as they blew past the competition on their Ducati Panigale V4 R motorcycles
Italian Domination
The weekend at Cremona saw the Italian, Danilo Petrucci, dominate his home race astride his Ducati
Bastianini Shines in Final-lap Thriller
Just like the previous race at Misano, this one also served up a thriller but for very different reasons. Here is how it unfolded
No Dearth of Drama
Marc Márquez had to wait for 1,043 days for his 60th MotoGP race victory, but his 61st race win only took another seven days
Kolli Hills on an NX 500
We rode from Bengaluru to Kolli Hills astride a Honda NX500 and it was a memorable ride for many reasons
For the Easy Life
Triumph India believe there is a market for a friendlier version of the Speed 400. Here is what you should know about that version, called the Speed T4
The Star Reborn
We finally got our hands on the new BSA Gold Star 650 and took it for a long spin. Here is our first impression
