On Track Off Road No. 194

By Neil Morrison
Must Try Harder: Johann Zarco
The paddock doesn’t forget. Looking
back on it, Zarco was naïve in
the extreme to think the Repsol
Honda seat was his after learning
of Lorenzo’s retirement. For what
had gone before was nothing short
of disastrous. A wretched spell in
KTM’s factory team was characterised
by poor speed and regular
dummy spitting. It was a structure
crying out for fresh input and
development direction. What it got
instead was verbal shaming and a
prolonged eight-month strop. By
all accounts, the Austrian factory’s
professionalism is second to none.
So just how the double world
champ reacts to his role as team
leader at regular whipping boys
Avintia Ducati will be one of next
year’s points of interest.
Medal of Valour: Brad Binder
Usually reserved for those overcoming
a troublesome injury,
the elder Binder brother gets the
nod for his spirited acceptance of
his KTM chassis’ shortcomings
in 2019 and consistently riding
around them. Across all three
classes no one was as spectacular
to watch with his no-nonsense
style winning him few fans among
his peers. But there were plenty
of admirers. That Binder came so
close to prolonging the title fight
until the final race was testament
to his unerring dedication. Riders
regularly belittling their equipment
should take note.
Quote of the Year: Danilo Petrucci,
Italian Grand Prix
How often do we hear elite athletes
admitting they were hopelessly out
of their depth? But Petrucci is no
ordinary athlete, a figure regularly
filled with good humour and cheer.
The dust had just settled on his
first MotoGP win in a memorable
four-rider brawl at Mugello when
he opened up on some of the self
doubt that was a fixture during
his early years in the class. “Many
times in the past [I nearly] quit
my career because I said this is
not my world,” he admitted. Well
Danilo, with performances like this
you found a place where you truly
belong.
Lap of the Year: Marc Marquez,
MotoGP Q2, Czech Grand Prix
Has there ever been a greater pole
position in history?
Few – if any – match this effort,
when, stung by a boisterous Alex
Rins cutting him up in pit lane,
Marquez exited pit lane onto a
damp track as rain was soaking its
final sector. On slick tyres. No one
generates heat in the rubber like
the hard-braking Catalan. Once up
to speed it was all about precision.
The first of two flyers put him 1s
clear of the rest. The second? It
had to be seen to be believed. Attacking
turns 13 and 14 as if they
were dry, the 26-year old barely
flinched as he put 2.524s into the
second fastest rider. The feat of no
ordinary man.
Shining Star: Sergio Garcia
So young he couldn’t race in
Qatar, the baby-faced Spaniard
only turned 16 in late March. After
the usual growing pains in Moto3,
he was really up and running by
autumn. Three top six finishes in
the final four outings, including a
debut podium at Sepang and then
a first win at Valencia, pointed
toward an extraordinarily bright
future. Yet another Spaniard destined
for the very top.