Tears at Le Mans: Johann Zarco’s historical home win

Written by Silvia Cojocaru, Edited by Marit Everett

Credit: MotoGP

With MotoGP arriving at Le Mans, the fans hoped that a Frenchman could end Ducati’s dominance. However, not many believed that Johann Zarco would be the one to break Ducati’s 22-race win streak and claim the first win by a French rider at Le Mans in 71 years.

Zarco’s career 

One of the most successful French riders of all time, Zarco has an impressive racing career to look back on, especially in Moto2. However, he often struggled to carry the same success into the premier class. 

Fortunately, his recent move to Honda appears to be just what the Frenchman needed to take the next step in his career. 

In 2024, his first year with the team, he finished as the top Honda rider in the Championship, and this year, in just the first five races of the season, he has already put out some promising performances, particularly a P4 result in Qatar.

Yet, it would be on home soil that he’d engrave his name in the MotoGP history books forever.

Credit: MotoGP

From the back of the grid to home glory

The Le Mans weekend started with great excitement from the French audience, as with the help from the momentum of the Spanish GP, Fabio Quartararo claimed pole position. Meanwhile, Zarco only managed to put his bike in P11.

The beginning of the race was nothing short of hectic. A few drops of rain started to fall, and the race was red-flagged before the start, with all riders rushing to the pit lane. While many were already struggling because of the unpredictable weather, Zarco proved that he had made the right choice in remaining on rain tyres for the entirety of the race as conditions worsened shortly after the start. 

The opening laps were tough for the French rider, as he was forced through the gravel runoff to avoid a crash. This brought him down to P17 on Lap 1. 

While this might have looked like a dire situation for most, a series of mistakes made by other riders, combined with Zarco’s calm and nearly flawless run, saw the Frenchman take the lead of the race by Lap 8.

During the opening laps, numerous riders received long lap penalties, others rushed to change their bikes, but it was Fabio Quartararo and Brad Binder both crashing on Lap 4 that made Zarco believe that he had a chance at a top position.

Once “the flying Frenchman” claimed the lead, he was almost untouchable. Marc Márquez was the one behind him, but the gap of over 8 seconds between the two riders could not be narrowed.

A powerful win

After seeing the chequered flag, the whole team, as well as the crowd, were roaring for “the flying Frenchman”. Zarco celebrated this special moment in front of over 100,000 fans with the return of his iconic backflip.

At the podium ceremony, Zarco’s parents were unable to hide their emotions, as their son celebrated one of the most important wins for any French MotoGP rider in history.

After the race, Zarco commented on his father’s reaction, stating: “Three days before the French GP, my father lost a tooth that had resisted for 52 years. He said he wouldn’t smile very much, but I think today it wasn’t possible.”.

Credit: MotoGP

It is difficult to express just how important the win is, not only for Zarco’s career, but for French motorsport as a whole. The overwhelming emotions and energy from the crowd showcased the beauty of this sport and the magic of winning at home.