I’ve always enjoyed talent spotting. Seeing a young rider for the first time and watching his career grow is a very satisfying thing. That is why I am such a huge Marc Marquez fan. The passion with which he goes about his racing is contagious and his apparent joy at every success shows that he hasn’t let his success go to his head. Who can forget this amazing moment from early in his career?
And this is also why I have become a huge Johann Zarco fan. The Frenchman set the MotoGp scene on its head on Monday morning by leading the first race of the season and buggering off to a 2 second lead (on a satellite bike) before falling victim to a wet patch on the track. Even hardened veterans in the Press Corps were impressed and more than willing to forgive him the minor error that took him out of the race. Of course, you’d have to have been hiding under a rock to not have noticed him before. The first rider to win two Moto2 titles and the most successful French rider in Grand Prix racing ever, Zarco is a huge talent and, barring injury, should go right to the top. Winner of the Red Bull Rookies Cup in 2007 and a dominant rider since moving up into the Moto2 category, it isn’t just that he has been a winning rider, it has been how he goes ABOUT winning that has been so all-fired impressive. Defending a title is always difficult, especially in Moto2 where it is not uncommon to see a rider win one race and then finish 12th in the next race, so deep is the talent pool.
Zarco started out the season last year looking like he was going to wrap up the title before the Summer break interrupted the season but then he ran into the rejuvenated Thomas Luthi, the Swiss rider lowering Zarco’s colours and making it look, at least for a couple of races, that the Frenchman might struggle to win the title at all. A string of low (by his standards) placings while Luthi went on his winning way, caused some to question whether Johann had burned out, or perhaps, peaked too early. But the closing races of the season saw him come storming back into contention, destroying the top-class opposition to stamp his authority on the class with even more finality than he had in 2015. In the second last race of the season, on a wet track, he waited till the very last minute to put in his charge for pole, securing it after the flag had waved by a massive TWO AND A HALF SECONDS ahead of his nearest rival. In the ensuing race, he disappeared into the distance, demoralising his opposition.
It was, therefore, no surprise when Tech III Yamaha announced that they had signed him for the MotoGp team to replace one of their outgoing riders. After all, Tech III is a French team run by the erstwhile Frenchman, Herve Poncheral. What WAS a surprise was that the team also announced that they were hiring the German, Jonas Folger, to partner Zarco. Folger, fast but inconsistent, just didn’t seem like a good “fit” for a team whose machinery was only just a little below the “works” kit. However, pre-season testing seemed to indicate that Poncheral had been dead right, Folger easily out-pacing the Frenchman at every test. It transpired, later, that Folger was being supplied with a 2016-spec engine while Zarco was “making do” with a 2015-spec motor but Folger’s performances were still very impressive.
At Qatar, in sessions that were blighted with rain, the tables were turned. Zarco was 3rd in FP3 while Folger was 12th. When the qualifying sessions were washed out and the grid positions allotted according to practice times, Zarco was in the box seat, 4th on combined times, Folger 8th. And so, much to the surprise and delight of all, Zarco led for 6 or so laps and looked more than comfortable doing so.
So why is it that Folger, a rider with much less on his CV than the decorated Zarco, seems to be getting the favoured treatment at the team? Well, it seems that he is regarded as a more naturally talented rider than Zarco whereas Zarco is regarded as a “worker”. It seems odd from where I sit, but I’m not in a position to say so with authority. All I DO know is that, so far at least, the “worker” has shone. Now I know that one swallow does not a summer make, but I will be watching the unfolding story of the Frenchman and the German with avid interest and I’d have to say that, at this stage, for lots of reasons, my money is firmly on Zarco. Remember, you read it here first.
On another subject, I had a chance to have a ride on Sunday, the first in over a month. Very nice, too, it was. I hope there is more to come.