MotoGP "pope" Valentino Rossi accuses him of lacking respect for his rivals; Franco Morbidelli, with whom he had the accident, calls him a "murderer". Critics that come at the worst time for the French driver Johann Zarco, 30 years old. Considered two years ago as one of the great hopes of the discipline after two Moto2 world champion titles and several pole positions and podiums in MotoGP, his last 18 months have been difficult.
Arrived in the KTM factory team for the 2019 season, he left this team a few months later in a deleterious climate, victim of repeated falls and apparently unable to control the Austrian machine requiring a driving force. After months without the handlebars, two posts for Honda put him back in the saddle before a contract for 2020 with Ducati's client team, Avintia, although used to the back of the pack.
Zarco has achieved excellent results with Avintia
"I want to dream", said at the start of the season the native of Cannes (south), anxious to restore his image while his compatriot Fabio Quartararo, ten years his junior, blows the spotlight on him. The object of this dream is to join the Ducati factory team, one of the three top-teams in the championship for next year. On Saturday, that dream had come closer with the announcement that Andrea Dovizioso, one of the Ducati riders, would leave the Italian team next year.
To everyone's surprise, Zarco recorded excellent results with Avintia, including a pole position in the Czech Republic Grand Prix ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, followed by a 3rd place in the race. The door to a new future therefore seemed to be opening. And patatras! At nearly 300 km / h on Sunday, he collided with the Italian Morbidelli (Yamaha-srt), the two motorcycles continuing their mad race on the track and cutting Rossi's path - one in front, the other him flying overhead - miraculously avoiding him.
" It's not the first time Zarco has done this kind of thing "
Valentino rossi"The Saint of bikers did a good job again today, it was very dangerous", noted the Italian champion, known for his superstition. At 41 years old and over twenty seasons at the highest level, "Il Dottore" has nevertheless seen a lot and has not been himself free from criticism after sometimes very muscular duels with his opponents, even his teammates. "We play a very dangerous sport, you have to respect your opponents on the track," he recalled before accusing: "This is not the first time Zarco has done this kind of thing and what happened is very clear: Zarco passed Morbidelli in the straight line and then, as he did not want to be passed, he braked in front of him… ”
Someone was looking out for this man today
Valentino Rossi escaped unharmed. # AustrianGPpic.twitter.com / GxWutNtNMj
The winner of the day, Andrea Dovizioso, also Italian, was more measured in believing that it was necessary above all to analyze in detail what had happened between Zarco and Morbidelli before passing a judgment. Briton Cal Crutchlow (Honda), considered one of the "hottest" on the field, and known for his sharp positions, called the collision "a racing incident". Rossi was also perhaps thinking about the fact that he has helped Morbidelli throughout his career and that they are close friends. And, by overwhelming Zarco, he can also do the business of Francesco "Pecco" Bagnaia, a young Italian rider also in the ranks to replace Dovizioso at Ducati and who is part of the stable of young "colts" that he created. under the name of "VR46", that is to say its initials and its race number.
" It was not a maneuver made on purpose "
Johann zarcoFaced with the shoot-off, Johann Zarco tries to defend himself: “I don't know what happened. I feel like Morbidelli's bike pushed me. I was able to pass him in the straight line, I was already well ahead and, when braking, I swerved to the right and that's where we collided. It was not a maneuver made on purpose, ”he said. He explained himself Sunday after the race with Rossi and Morbidelli, then showing reporters the burns suffered during his long slide on the asphalt. Because, as Dovizioso reminds us, motorcycling is a sport where you have to "sometimes forget that you are a human" to go up on machines with dantesque power on circuits where the average is approaching 200km / h and top speed 350 km / h and fight neck and neck.
Here is what remains of Zarco's Ducati after its crash # MotoGPpic.twitter.com / Oih01whlbQ
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