MotoGP: 'I am Really Excited', Says Nakagami as He Welcomes Zarco to LCR Honda

Johann Zarco has signed a two-year contract with the MotoGP team LCR Honda. Current Pramac Ducati rider Zarco made the announcement on Sunday night in Austria. Zarco stated he had the option to continue his contract with Ducati for another year, maybe with a different team, before making the jump to WorldSBK in 2025, or he could take up Honda's new two-year MotoGP project, which he said also included an option for 2026. Takaaki Nakagami, who rides for LCR Honda, welcomed Zarco into the squad, which may indicate that the Japanese rider would remain with the Honda satellite team in 2024. For the 2024 MotoGP season, Takaaki Nakagami intends to remain with the LCR Honda squad, and he thinks Johann Zarco will be an excellent addition to Honda. The 2023 MotoGP season has been a nightmare for the Japanese rider and the other of Honda's riders, but the team's acquisition of Zarco might turn things around.

MotoGP: Nakagami Hopes for Big Improvement

Ducati only offered him a one-year contract extension, and there was talk of transferring him from Pramac to another Ducati team, so the 33-year-old decided to join Marquez, Joan Mir, and Takaaki Nakagami in an effort to get Honda back to the top of the field. Highside injuries have plagued all RCV riders this year, and many are attributing poor rear grip as a major factor. However, finding a solution is proving difficult.

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Nakagami believed that bringing in Zarco could have an impact similar to how KTM gained from acquiring Jack Miller, however, he did not know whether Honda was planning to make any engineering recruits from Ducati as well, given that KTM had brought over more than just Miller from the Italian firm. One of the sport's biggest names, Marc Marquez, disagreed, saying Honda already had enough information from existing riders.

The deal between LCR and Honda over Zarco effectively ended Iker Lecuona's chances of returning to the MotoGP grid. The 23-year-old has performed well in his fill-in appearances this season, and he may earn further call-ups if Alex Rins' recuperation takes longer than expected.

MotoGP: Honda Mid-Season Report

The Repsol Honda Team duo avoided serious issues during the incident-filled Sprint at the Red Bull Ring, allowing them to gain crucial track time with HRC's new aerodynamics package. Two weeks ago at the British Grand Prix, Honda unveiled an aerodynamic fairing on Nakagami's LCR-run bike to fight with KTM and Ducati. At the Austrian Grand Prix, Marquez and his teammate Joan Mir utilised new aero equipment. The revised aero helped Marquez feel "better and better" as the day progressed, but he had to adjust how he rode the RC213V to account for it, and the bike's lacklustre acceleration persisted as a problem.

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Both Marquez and Mir have struggled on Sunday, with Marquez scoring only two points and Mir none. Zarco, on the other hand, seemed to like the prospect of a difficult task ahead, particularly because he would have the chance to revive a legendary Japanese brand and therefore get factory backing.