MotoGP: Pramac Ducati and Johann Zarco Part Ways, Set to Join LCR Honda for 2024 Season

Johann Zarco will leave Pramac Racing after the conclusion of the 2023 MotoGP season and will be competing for LCR Honda in the 2024 season. After feeling unsupported by Honda this season, Rins decided to join the factory Yamaha team for the next season, ending a two-year works agreement with the Japanese manufacturer. During the weekend of the British Grand Prix, rumours began to circulate that Zarco would be moving into the open LCR seat, and on the morning of the Austrian GP on Saturday, French television network Canal+ effectively declared that a deal had been made. At the conclusion of the 2023 season, Johann Zarco and Prima Pramac Racing will conclude their three-year partnership. In the remaining races of the 2023 Championship, Zarco and the Pramac Team will continue to aim for the best results.

MotoGP: Zarco and Prima Pramac

Zarco denied reports on Saturday that he had signed with Honda, saying instead that he will make a choice on Sunday. After the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday, Pramac announced that Zarco will be leaving the team, and an official statement from Honda is due soon. A total of 12 podium finishes (4 in 2021, 4 in 2022, and 4 so far this season) have been earned by the French rider since he joined the squad in 2021.

Also Read: MotoGP: 'Honda Never Quits', Says HRC President Yasuharu Watanabe Amid Japanese Exit Rumour

Gino Borsoi (Prima Pramac Team Manager): “It has been an honour and a pleasure to work with a rider and an individual like Johann, and the only regret I have is that the work started this year won’t continue into the next season. There are still many races between now and the end of November, and this decision doesn’t change the goal we set at the beginning of the year. I wish him the best of luck for his future.”

Johann Zarco: “I’ve spent four years with Ducati, three of them with the Pramac team, and I am very content with what we have built and achieved together. In 2021, I finished the championship in fifth place, marking my best-ever MotoGP result, but my goal is to do even better this year. At the end of this season, I will leave with a smile because the team and Ducati have given me so much, and together we have fought for truly significant accomplishments.

“Next year, I will face a new challenge, but for now, I want to conclude this championship with my team in the best way possible. I thank my entire team, Ducati, and all the people who have worked alongside me during these years we spent together. The ultimate goal remains to stand atop the podium and proudly sing the French national anthem, La Marseillaise, together with Paolo Campinoti, whom I sincerely thank for all the support he has given me since day one,” he added.

Also Read: MotoGP: Gresini Racing Confirms Alex Marquez for 2024, Extends Partnership with Ducati Until 2025

MotoGP:‘Honda as the Power to Come Back', Says Johann Zarco 

Johann Zarco has shared his thoughts on joining the LCR Honda team for the upcoming MotoGP season. It was announced shortly after Sunday's Austrian MotoGP that the French rider would be leaving Pramac Ducati, where he had raced for the previous three seasons. Essentially, he's going to the LCR Honda team, replacing Alex Rins.

Johann Zarco in an interview said, “I've grown a lot since 2019 when I had the difficult KTM experience. But Honda it’s another story, even if they are struggling now, they don't have the winning bike right now, they are still Honda and they have the power to come back if they find the right way for the development. So I will be the most proud if I can be part of this and very glad if I can perform.

As a result of the trade, Zarco will be switching from the Desmosedici, which is currently leading the world championship, to the RC213V, which has won only one race in the last two years. Following his mid-2019 departure from KTM, Zarco made three appearances for LCR and Honda. He spent the following year at Ducati after racing for Avintia, and he will be switching to Pramac in 2020.