‘No regrets’ as Zarco praises Binder, KTM for landmark MotoGP victory

Johann Zarco says he feels absolutely no regrets about leaving KTM as he watched his replacement in the team score a breakthrough victory for the manufacturer in the Czech MotoGP.

The Frenchman endured an acrimonious split with the KTM just six months into a two-year MotoGP deal, with Zarco decrying the fact he couldn’t adapt to the style needed to get the most from the RC16.

A parting of ways that very nearly cost him a chance of riding anywhere in 2020, Zarco is now carving a new underdog status for himself in the Avintia Racing team, a relationship that yielded a pole position and a run to third in Brno.

However, his return to the podium was accompanied by a maiden visit to the top for KTM via Brad Binder – who was promoted in Zarco’s place for 2020 – to beg the question whether he had any regrets about quitting the team so early into the project.

Zarco is emphatic in having no such misgivings, reiterating he didn’t feel comfortable being paid well to ‘do shit’, adding that he is enjoying his racing again with Ducati.

“Brad is doing the job I was not able to do last year and I am happy for him and KTM. No regrets at all, should I have been more patient or not? No, last year I was struggling to do a step for myself, a big decision to get some freedom and agree with myself, because I was getting money to do shit and I didn’t agree with it.

“I had to be honest with KTM, tell them I don’t want to do this and I’d prefer to quit than do badly, so it has been a huge step but when I got the Ducati again, I got a different feeling. Maybe a bit more feeling I had in Moto2, I don’t know if it was the Latin people, but the bike gave me more confidence and from that I could work much better on myself.”

Both products of Aki Ajo’s guidance in Moto2, Zarco is full of praise for Binder’s performance and says KTM is lucky to have such a talent on its hands.

“That’s perfect for KTM they have Brad, he showed in Moto2 he was the one when it was big problems to get over issues and win races. Maybe the bike made a huge step but the MotoGP bike is never the perfect one, but he could ride it better and he won.”