Johann Zarco makes history with sensational win at French Grand Prix

Johann Zarco claimed a historic victory at the French Grand Prix in Le Mans on Sunday, becoming the first Frenchman in 71 years to win his home race in the premier class of motorcycle racing.

The LCR Honda rider’s bold decision to start the race on wet tyres paid off handsomely in front of a sellout crowd of more than 120,000 fans.

In a chaotic and rain-hit race that saw multiple bike swaps, Zarco maintained composure and control, finishing nearly 20 seconds ahead of his closest rival.

Marc Marquez, riding for Ducati, secured second place, 19.907 seconds behind Zarco. With this result, Marquez extended his championship lead to 22 points after his younger brother, Alex Marquez of Gresini Ducati, crashed out of third place.

Gresini Racing’s Fermin Aldeguer rounded out the podium, clinching his first-ever MotoGP top-three finish.

Speaking after the race, the 34-year-old expressed disbelief over his milestone victory.

“It’s hard to believe. I still don’t understand what is happening,” said Zarco

“The last laps were quite long and I need a bit of time [to understand] … it was just magic. With the rain tyres at the beginning, I had to control, I didn’t want to burn the tyre, and then more rain is coming but I could control the gap,” he added.