Motegi, Japan – 9 October 2015: Tito Rabat has withdrawn from this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi, as a result of the injury sustained in a training crash on Monday.
Rabat completed eight laps of the Motegi circuit during the first Moto2 free practice session this morning, but was well off the pace as he struggled with a lack of power in his injured left arm.
After consultation with the team, Rabat made the decision to withdraw from this weekend’s event, rather than to continue and risk further injury.
A further assessment of Rabat’s injury will be made next week, after which a decision will be taken about his participation in the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island.
Tito Rabat:
“There was little pain, but I just didn’t have the power in the injured arm needed to cope with the hard braking areas here at Motegi. To continue this weekend would have made no sense. The championship is gone and second place is not worth the risk of crashing again and making the injury worse. I am disappointed we weren’t able to fight to the end, but congratulations to Johann Zarco on the championship. He’s ridden a faultless season and will be a worthy champion.”
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“To ride injured like this makes no sense for Tito. He needs more time to recover from the surgery he had on Monday and to continue here in Japan would only have risked further injury for little gain. Whether we finish second or third in the championship is not important, but Tito’s health is, which is why, together, we made the decision to withdraw from this weekend. We will assess the injury again next week before making a decision about Tito’s participation in the Australian GP. With Tito unable to ride this weekend it means that Johann Zarco will be crowned as Moto2 World Champion here. Congratulations to him; he’s been impressive this season.”
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
It’s been a long road for Johann Zarco, but the Japanese GP sees him become the 2015 Moto2™ World Champion.
Johann Zarco took his first steps towards a life filled with racing when he began racing minibikes in Italy, finishing second overall in 2005 and 2006. He joined the Red Bull Rookies Cup during its inaugural year in 2007 and became their first champion with four victories and seven podiums in eight races. Two years later, the pilot from Cannes, France made his debut in the 125cc World Championship with the WTR San Marino Team where he ended the year in 20th position, improving to 11th the following year.
In 2011 the Frenchman evolved, jumping to the Avant AirAsia Ajo Derbi team and conquering ten podiums together, pushing for the 125cc title till the end. In Motegi, just four races from the end of the year, Zarco took a career first victory but in the end finished second to Spaniard Nico Terol in the championship. His solid performance granted him 262 championship points and also earned him a ride in the Moto2™ World Championship with Team JiR in 2012.
It was not an easy rookie season for Zarco aboard the MotoBi, but he was near the podium on several occasions including the Portuguese GP. He ended the year with 95 points and inside the top ten. 2013 saw him join the Came Iodaracing Project mounted on the more competitive Suter frame and Zarco delivered on his potential with two podiums, a third in both Mugello and Valencia. Again, Zarco became a rider to watch.
For 2014 Zarco joined the new Caterham squad, riding a revised Suter frame. It was a mixed season with four podiums and several crashes, especially during the start of the year. Then in 2015 came the turning point, Zarco rejoined Aki Ajo under the Ajo Motorsport banner in the Finn’s newly formed Moto2™ team and Zarco found himself on the much desired Kalex. Aside from Qatar, 2015 was a year without fault and at round three in Argentina, Zarco took his first win in the class. From that moment he took over the championship lead and it grew with each round. Repeated triumphs were repeated celebrated with a trademark backflip, a highlight of the season was his run of three wins from the Czech GP to the San Marino GP. It was in Motegi, where he took his first victory back in 2011 on the 125cc Derbi, that Zarco was crowned the 2015 Moto2™ World Champion.
A dominant seasons sees Zarco become the most successful French rider in history and take the 2015 Moto2™ World Championship.
The seeds of Johann Zarco’s 2015 Moto2™ World Championship title were born at the end of 2014 when acclaimed manager Aki Ajo began to build the foundations for a Moto2™ team. After years of success in the lightweight class, the Finn set his eyes on success in the intermediate class and needed a rider with the talent and dedication to start the adventure with, Ajo’s eyes fell squarely on Johann Zarco. The Frenchman had shown his speed on the Caterham last year, securing four podiums amongst a sea of Kalexs.
Ajo and Zarco had worked together previously in the 125cc championship when Zarco challenged for the title in 2011 on the Derbi. At Valencia in mid-November they got their first chance to reunite during testing and the potential in the team, bike and rider was immediately noticeable. In the build up to the season it was clear that defending Moto2™ champion Tito Rabat would be the man to beat, but Sam Lowes on the Speed Up also emerged as a real title threat during winter testing. With two of Moto3™’s brightest stars, Alex Rins and Alex Marquez also in the mix, the battle for the 2015 crown was set to be a tight one.
Qualifying in Qatar delivered on the off season predictions with Lowes, Zarco and Rabat all lining up on the front row. Disaster struck in the race for all three, Zarco experienced a technical problem with his Kalex that saw him unable to shift gears in the closing laps. After a near run in with the pitwall, the Frenchman ended in eighth as Jonas Folger took a surprise win.
The paddock headed to Austin with Zarco and the Ajo Motorsport squad determined to leave the Qatar incident behind them. A solid second place behind a blistering Lowes thrust Zarco back to the sharp end of the championship table.
Argentina saw Zarco’s first truly dominant performance, pole position followed by a comfortable victory of over 2.5 seconds. At the Termas de Rio Hondo the partnership between Ajo and Zarco began to flourish as they took the lead in the Moto2™ World Championship.
From this point Zarco’s confidence, and points lead, began to grow and the rider from Cannes began to gain momentum. The likes of Folger, Lüthi and Rabat all challenged him as the championship returned to Europe, Zarco claimed second in a hectic last lap at Jerez and was forced to settle for third at home in Le Mans. Even in his attempts to limit the damage, the Frenchman stretched his lead as his rivals faltered.
After Mugello, where he finished second, Zarco’s season came alive with back to back wins, and backflips, in Barcelona and Assen. Much like Argentina, Zarco converted pole position to victories in both races, closing considerable gaps in the final laps and proving he was a threat at every stage of the race. A solid second in Germany allowed Zarco to head into the mid-season break with the luxury of the title lead.
Indianapolis saw Zarco return immediately to form with another second place. By this stage in the season Zarco was the title favourite and while still aiming for race wins, he began to consider the season as a whole. It was back to the top step of the podium in Brno for Zarco, taking his fourth win of the year. Silverstone and Misano continued to the same beat as Zarco dominated both races, claiming three victories in a row.
The Aragon GP played host to Zarco’s first shot at the tile, the Frenchman needing to finish seven points ahead of Rabat to gain the 2015 crown. A smart and safe ride saw the Ajo Motorsport rider finish in sixth, forcing him to wait until Motegi.
It would be at the Japanese Grand Prix, the sight of his first ever World Championship win, that Johann Zarco became the 2015 Moto2™ World Champion. Tito Rabat was unable to start the Japanese GP due to injury, cementing Zarco’s title before the race. The Frenchman was officially declared as the 2015 Moto2™ World Champion after FP1.
Zarco is the first French rider to win the Moto2 world title.
He is the fourth French rider to win the intermediate-class world title, joining Jean-Louis Tournadre (250cc – 1982), Christian Sarron (250cc – 1984) and Olivier Jacque (250cc – 2000).
He is the first French rider to win a world title in any of the three grand prix classes since Mike di Meglio won the 125cc championship in 2008.
During 2015 Zarco became the first French rider ever to win three successive races in any class of grand prix racing.
During 2015 Zarco won a total of six Moto2 races – the greatest number of GP victories ever achieved in a single season by a French rider.
On his way to winning the world title Zarco set a new record of twelve successive Moto2 podium finishes.