Castrol Honda LCR rider Johann Zarco endured a frustrating Saturday Sprint in Goiânia, crashing out after an eventful race that began with an early setback.
After qualifying 10th, Zarco’s race was immediately compromised at the start when a rider ahead lost control and spun across the track. Forced to take evasive action, the Frenchman dropped several positions while avoiding contact.
“I was unlucky in the Sprint from the very beginning. Another rider had an issue, spun, and went sideways, and in trying to avoid him I lost many positions,” Zarco explained.
Despite the difficult opening, Zarco responded well in the early laps, recovering positions and rejoining the midfield battle. However, as the race progressed, he struggled to maintain the pace needed to close the gap to the riders ahead, including Luca Marini.
While pushing to regain ground, Zarco made a critical error on lap eight at Turn 1. Running wide onto a section of the track with limited rubber and reduced grip, he lost control and crashed. Fortunately, the incident did not result in any injuries.
“In the first two laps I was able to regain positions and get back into the fight, but after that my pace wasn’t strong enough to catch Marini. Then I made a mistake, ran wide, and crashed due to a lack of grip,” he said.
Although the result was disappointing, Zarco and the team were able to gather valuable data that could prove important for Sunday’s race. The French rider remains confident of a stronger showing.
“I’m fine, and we’ll try again tomorrow,” he added.
