IN
THE
WIND
P40
No country for old Zarco
J
ohann Zarco's not altogether
surprising decision to cancel
his two-year contract with KTM
after a dire start to the asso-
ciation has left the 29-year-old
Frenchman dangerously ex-
posed with few options avail-
able.
Aside from a distant hope that
Jorge Lorenzo might likewise
leave Honda a year early, there
are no seats available in MotoGP
until 2021. And even if Lorenzo
does quit, would Honda want a
rider who plainly finds it as hard,
possibly harder, than Lorenzo
in adapting from a Yamaha to
another bike?
Talent is not in question,
though his age also tells against
him. But the rider is not affected
by the apparent realities, saying
at the Silverstone MotoGP that
he would be a valuable test rider
for any factory, and willing to
ride as a wild card in every race,
instead ignoring the rule that
permits only three wild cards per
manufacturer, or five for the con-
cession teams KTM and Aprilia.
One test-rider possibility might
be back on the Yamaha upon
which he achieved success over
the past two years. This follows
news that current test rider
Jonas Folger is plotting a return
to Moto2. Suzuki may offer a
similar chance for the French-
man, who turned his back on a
factory Suzuki MotoGP contract
in favor of Yamaha in 2017.
Michael Scott
Johann Zarco's
decision to leave early
could have serious
career implications.
PHOTO: GOLD & GOOSE
