‘Just magic’ - Grand Prix France winner Johann Zarco celebrates ‘very special’ Le Mans win in which he needed 'focus'

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Castrol Honda rider Johann Zarco was thrilled to win his home MotoGP race at one of the best known venues in all of motor racing, Le Mans. The Grand Prix France victory was a huge surprise for the Frenchman, but he told TNT Sports how he negotiated the changing conditions to give him the advantage, and said that it took all his concentration to stay on the track.

‘I began to think I can win the race’ - Zarco reveals the ‘focus’ needed to win Grand Prix France

Video credit: TNT Sports

Castrol Honda's Johann Zarco was delighted with a "magic" win at Grand Prix France on Sunday but confessed he needed "focus" in the changing conditions.

The start of the race was beset by chaos as some riders pitted in order to move to wet tyres - something Zarco did - while others gambled on slicks.

Ultimately, a mid-race downpour meant those on dry tyres had to change bikes, and as the race went on, crashes for riders such as Alex Marquez, Fabio Quartararo and Francesco Bagnaia led to some unexpected track positions.

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Zarco was the beneficiary of his decision to move over to wet tyres, and speaking to TNT Sports, he gave his feelings on his win before explaining why he approached the race as he did.

He said: "It’s just magic, the way things happened, because from the start, we knew that it was going to rain, but when other riders decided to start with the slick tyres, then change, then went into the box, then the grid with the slick tyres, the beginning of the race was kind of slick, they were faster than the rain tyres, but there were some drops. I know that slicks plus raindrops - I don't feel good."

The Frenchman added: "I saw Jack [Miller] was also with the rain tyres, [and] was going quite fast, but I didn't want to burn those tyres. I just said, be patient, because the guys with the slicks, it should rain more, they should go to the pit box, and let's see what you can do."

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Zarco continued, and said that he felt that when Miller suffered a crash, he was ready to believe that a rare MotoGP win - for him in his career, and for French riders at Le Mans - was on the cards.

He said: "Things happened, because when the rain came, they had to change the bikes, [and] again, positions. Overall, I was worried about Jack Miller because he's the best in those conditions, but when he [had] a crash in the last corner, I began to think, I can win the race.

"Then let's keep focus, because I'm a bit scared that Marc [Marquez] will come back because he can do incredible things, and he's very strong. He came back quite fast, but I think he was limited with the tyres, and we could control the gap."

Zarco took a 10-second lead and doubled it as he approached the last lap, and he reflected on what it meant to him as a student of the sport.

"It's just so cool to ride the bike like this," he explained. "I love motorsport history, watching lots of old races. I know lots of big names from the past, but to ride this line today, I’m kind of proud.

"It was quite long [to focus on difficult racing conditions], sure, but in this condition when we have to control the tyres, and the tyres could not give much more, it’s something I like. I could control it but it was very focused. In many corners, you don’t have a surprise and make a mistake.

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Video credit: TNT Sports

"But okay, the last lap, I had a 20-second advantage. I began to really not lean on the bike, just go through the corners. In the last sector, I began to wave to say hello to the crowd, because I was seeing flags moving a lot.

"That was nice to get this possibility to say hello to the fans before the end of the race. It’s very special."

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