Johann Zarco was worried he’d never ‘walk again’ after Catalan GP crash

Add as preferred source on Google

Johann Zarco feared for his MotoGP career and his long-term mobility after his accident at the Catalan Grand Prix earlier this season.

Zarco’s leg became trapped in the wheel of Francesco Bagnaia’s Ducati when they tangled at the restart in Barcelona. The race had been red-flagged after another horror crash involving Gresini’s Alex Marquez.

The Frenchman damaged two knee ligaments as well as his meniscus, and also injured his ankle. Cal Crutchlow has deputised for him at LCR Honda at the last five races.

Johann Zarco thought his riding days were over after Barcelona injury

Reflecting on the crash in an interview with Canal Plus, Zarco revealed that he had already hurt his foot after being struck by a piece of debris from the Marquez crash. He now regrets taking the restart at all.

Zarco says the marshals were reluctant to pull him from the scene because of the precarious position of his leg. He suffered burns from the exhaust pipe on Bagnaia’s Ducati.

Is rider safety in MotoGP getting better or worse?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

“It makes me angry that I had to go back out because I should have stayed in the pits,” he said. “It’s good to have escaped unharmed, but it’s also hard to think that it could all have been avoided.”

He added: “I wasn’t even thinking about the race. I was just thinking, ‘I hope I can walk again.’ That was my real fear.”

• READ MORE: What Johann Zarco told LCR about his future in MotoGP after serious Barcelona crash

In a recent statement, LCR said Zarco would not undergo surgery. If his recovery continues to go well, he could return in September.

The statement came after rumours that Zarco may retire from the sport. Indeed, the 35-year-old doubted he would ever ride again in the aftermath of the injury.

He said: “When I arrived in Lyon, they told me, ‘Well, the season is over.’ I cried a little because I thought, ‘You’re never going to get on a bike again, even though your life revolves around it.'”

Having been deemed responsible for the collision, Zarco will have to serve a double long-lap penalty when he does return.

Partly as a response to the incident, MotoGP teams agreed to increase separation between grid rows. The goal was to space out the field heading into the first corner.