Having been at Ducati for the last four years, first with Avintia and then Pramac, Zarco has signed a two-year deal to join Honda and LCR in 2024 replacing Yamaha-bound Alex Rins.
It will mark the second time Zarco has ridden the Honda in the premier class, having been drafted in to replace the injured Takaaki Nakagami at LCR for the final three rounds of 2019.
The Frenchman, who was ousted from his KTM ride having elected to quit his two-year deal earlier in that season, was 13th on his Honda debut in Australia but didn’t score in the following two rounds.
Honda is currently joint-last in the manufacturers’ standings in the middle of a miserable year for both Japanese marques, despite Rins ending HRC’s win drought in America in April.
Swapping MotoGP’s best bike for its worst, Zarco says the “good feeling” he got on the RC213V and with LCR in 2019 means he is “not scared” of the challenge that awaits him.
“I’m sure they have the power to invest in the need to find a solution, and I will be proud if I can find a way with them,” he said.
“I still believe the one who can win on the bike as soon as the bike works better will be Marc [Marquez], because he remains an incredible rider when he is feeling good.
Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“So, I’m happy to save the future and going to this challenge with Lucio [Cecchinello, team boss].
“We met four years ago and I got a good feeling. I got a good feeling on the Honda at that time, so that’s why I’m not scared and much more ready than in the past.
“I got the bad experience with KTM. And it seems almost the same at the moment: things are going well with Ducati and I’m going to Honda.
“But I’m much more mature, so I believe I can handle difficult situations but also be ready for good situations when they will come.”
It’s not clear yet who will be Zarco’s team-mate at LCR in 2024, with Takaaki Nakagami’s current deal expiring at the end of 2023.
