Johann Zarco says he was forced to retire from the sprint race for the Australian Grand Prix after an electronic problem made it “dangerous” for him to continue riding.
The LCR rider had been one of the star performers in qualifying at Phillip Island, taking advantage of wet conditions to progress through Q1 before putting his satellite Honda on the front row behind the Ducatis of Marc Marquez and Alex Marquez.
However, his race lasted just three full laps before he was forced to peel into the pits with what technical gremlins, bringing a premature end to his day.
Speaking afterwards, Zarci explained that a faulty gearbox sensor meant he could no longer see which gear he was in on the dashboard. He also pointed to a larger electronic issue that impacted the handling of the bike, ultimately making it impossible for him to continue.
“Unlucky,” he said, describing his early exit from the sprint. “I got a technical problem. I got a sensor on the gearbox that I think got broken because the bike was lost; I didn’t know in which gear I was.
Johann Zarco, Team LCR Honda, Alex Marquez, Gresini Racing, Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
“I got some strange behaviour of the bike in some corners. Then I saw that I could not ride anymore and it was even becoming dangerous because with this powerful bike and with the electronics, and the gearbox doesn’t know where it is….
“It’s not a mechanical problem; it was an electronic problem. I could not fight.
“Already the bike was giving a strange feeling in TC and also in engine brake, and when I understood what was happening, I stopped; it was just too dangerous.”
Zarco held third position on the opening lap of the sprint, losing one spot to a fast-starting Jorge Martin but passing the Gresini Ducati of Alex Marquez.
He dropped behind Marquez and Pedro Acosta on the next tour, but was still running comfortably inside the top five when he was forced to slow down on lap 4.
With Zarco retiring early, Joan Mir absent all weekend due to illness and Luca Marini withdrawing on Saturday morning due to a virus, Diogo Moreira was left as the only Honda rider in the sprint.
The LCR rookie took the chequered flag in ninth place, but was promoted to eighth after Trackhouse’s Ai Ogura was hit with an eight-second time penalty for a tyre pressure infringement.
While the sprint took place in dry conditions, heavy rain is forecast at Phillip Island during the grand prix on Sunday, when Zarco and Moreira will be the only representatives from Honda on a depleted 18-bike MotoGP grid.
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