Where is Zarco's career headed?

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/motogp-red-bull-ktm-signs-johann-zarco-for-2019-2020-seasons/

 

Hopefully his camp was smart enough to put some guarantees in that KTM builds him a competitive bike. So he has the option to bail if they don't. I will never forgive Brivio for letting him go. (Unless Rins wins a championship then I'll send Davide flowers.)

 

He's what, 27? ~ 29 when his contract is done. Unless he stinks it up worse than lorenzo on the ducati he'd still have a year or two to turn it around before he got shipped off to WSBK.

He'll be just fine. He has a desirable passport.

 

KTM seems pretty serious to do this right. I sure hope they deliver...

 

I like Zarco a lot, but I cannot say I agree with the decision if indeed the second seat at Repsol was on the table. That said, I'll still root for him (and big orange).

 

I'm sure he has no desire to be an also ran on the Honda. As long as Marques is winning races playing second fiddle at Honda won't do any good for your career either.

 

Marc is to Honda what Rossi is to Yamaha. That’s Marc’s team and anyone that comes in to that garage better know that.

Sure we would all like to see him take it to Marc on the Honda but RedBull money and number 1 rider at KTM is the smart decision. I think they’ll get to the top step now that they have a top rider, not taking anything away from Pol as he’s done great.

 

I think y’all gonna be eating some words.

I think the Ktm is already better than its current riders.

They aren’t in this to get beat. They will succeed if anything from their past 10 years shows in Motorsports.

Then add in Red Bull $$$

 

I remember the heady days when KTM subplanted BMW in Dakar dominance. I think BMW had lost interest by then. I don't think Honda, Yamaha or Ducati will.

 

Money does not guarantee success in motorsports. Remember Toyota in F1?

 

+1. KTM may not win a championship, but they'll be in the hunt within the next few years. If Ducati can do it, KTM can.

 

i'd say culturally, engineering wise, and money wise... KTM is better suited than Ducati ever was/is. and for sure, if they can, KTM has the ability. Ducati has done a lot of stubborn and/or dumb shit in the past few decades to stay true to their bullshit sentiments about heritage and such. i dunno that KTM gives a fuck either way besides trying to make the best "thing" which will benefit them in the end.

Ducati had the trellis thing... then the carbon frameless thing... then the 90* V thing... they were super stubborn about all of those, and trying to prove that they could work and thus be relateable to sales and such. KTM i feel like will just make whatever seems like the best idea to win, and they don't give a shit about any of that.

 

.....and they STILL won the championship in 2007. I guess that goes to show just how good Stoner really was on that thing that no one else could ride/win on.

 

Sweaty, if I was going to build a race bike or even a nicely powered street bike I'd go steel Trellis frame all the way. easy to rework, you can make it as stiff or flexiable as you wanted, light enough to compare to aluminum (and you can take weight off elsewhere if you had to), can be made cheaper and it just looks cool.

I think it was brilliant for KTM to go this way on their moto2 bikes and may even be smarter on their motogp bikes.

 

no no no... i don't mean that it was necessarily bad at all. i'm aware of that factor for sure. but more so as in, they were defined by it as an image that permeated their entire company... so it creates unnecessary boxing in of ideas for them because of those things. that one for them was proven to work very well (and way better than their damn carbon bullshit said everyone under the sun)... but a company with no pretenses has a lot more room to see where the science takes them, that's all. KTM has no heritage of trellis v. alum, V v. I4 v. V4, carbon this or that... nobody cares about anything they do in this game except what place the bike finishes. that's an engineering advantage.

this one's a trellis... i'm looking at Mika Kallio's 250 chassis for sale right now and its standard alum designed and that thing was a ripper... whatever it takes to win.

 

I remember when peeps sort of made fun of Mamola for going to Cagiva, until they found out what they were paying him plus providing exotic cars etc. It’s not like Zarco was or is preordained to win a championship on the Yamaha or by going to Honda anyway. Although his chances would be increased, I don’t see him beating MM on a consistent basis.
He’s not going to win on the KTM but he’ll be taking a big step towards becoming financially set for the rest of his life which isn’t all that bad.

 

Even the Redbull F1 team had a steep climb. And they spent more than many countries GDP.

 

RB, Haas has spent like $500 and done pretty okay in F1. Suzuki motogp picks up cans along highways for the deposit money and don't exactly suck.

Hmm, imagine what those two could do with Red Bull money? Probably spend it all in Vegas on hookers and blow but they would have a good time.

 

Yeah would be interesting to know the offer from Honda vs KTM and what was going through Zarcos head.
If he could beat Marquez on the same bike he would instantly become one of the greatest ever, but maybe he isnt sure he could do it and the money was a sure thing at KTM.

 

Yes and no. You have to remember that the trellis frame and L Vtwin motors are what sets Ducati apart from all the other typical Jap bikes. Sure it can pigeonhole them in some areas but at the same time without this identity, they wouldn’t be as successful sales wise as they have become. It’s sort of a double edge sword. No shame in standing behind your heritage and trying to make things work, until they don’t. I think they have recently shown that they are willing to step outside of their box when they need too. I think you are underestimating Ducati as being a race bike manufacturer.