Johann Zarco's strong effort at the gruelling Aragon Grand Prix earned him a 9th place finish under the scorching Spanish sun on Sunday.
The French star leapt forward from 11th and he immediately set into a formidable and consistent pace.
The rookie eventually concluded the race inside the top ten to maintain his position as the leading independent rider in the championship.
The result also saw him extend his 100% point scoring record since the opening round.
"The result is quite good, however, I expected to be stronger in the race with the used tyres, but eventually my opponents were fast too,” he said. “I got a solid start yet the first few laps were a bit difficult. I tried my best to overtake but in the end, it was not the right opportunity and I lost a lot of positions because I almost crashed. After that, I got a solid feeling but I was limited by the front.”
“This was not because of the tyre because even if it was a soft front, the technicians said that the rubber looked ok after the race. So it means that if I was limited, it was possible that the bike's balance was not as perfect as I needed it to be to get close to the front. Nevertheless, I am happy about the race and it was another experience, plus good for the championship.”
“I tried to do my best but to finish only 13 seconds back from the top guys is not so far. However, I missed something to stay with this leading group because when they overtook Kallio, they opened a gap and I don't think I was strong enough then. Anyway, I will learn from it and I need to understand how to use this to be more competitive in the future.”
“I want to improve myself so that I can set the bike up and provide the right information, and also be effective with the team so they can give me the fantastic feeling that you can usually have with the Yamaha."
