Zarco claims rare win to end 71-year French wait

Johann Zarco claimed an emotional victory on Sunday as he became the first French winner of the French Grand Prix since 1954.

Rain played havoc with the start of the race in Le Mans and the LCR Honda rider took advantage as his decision to start with wet tyres paid off.

He was 11th on the starting grid and soon slipped to 17th, but he gained the lead on lap eight and held his nerve to win by nearly 20 seconds from championship leader Marc Marquez.

At 34, Zarco is the oldest rider on the grid and he and his father were in tears after just the second MotoGP win of his career.

Zarco celebrated by performing a backflip off the barrier in front of the grandstand,  as a sell-out crowd of more than 120,000 chanted his name.

The last French winner of their home GP was Pierre Monneret at Reims 71 years ago.

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

“The last laps were quite long. I need a bit of time [for it to sink in] but it’s just magic.

Ducati’s Marquez claimed Saturday’s sprint win to regain the championship lead from his younger brother Alex.

The six-time world champion stretched his advantage to 22 points with second place on Sunday while Gresini Racing rookie Fermin Aldeguer came third for his first MotoGP podium.

Zarco’s victory ended a run of 22 straight wins for Ducati and lifted him to sixth in the overall standings, above compatriot Fabio Quartararo.

The 2021 world champion had hoped to be the home hero on Sunday after claiming pole but crashed out at the final corner on lap four.

Riders swapped bikes multiple times, with some choosing to start on slicks, and Zarco slipped back to 17th on lap one when he narrowly avoided a collision.

But he slowly made his way back through and when both Marc and Alex Marquez pitted again, Zarco took his chance.

Alex Marquez crashed out of third place late on as the celebrations began for the huge home support, which took the weekend crowd to 300,000 – the biggest in France in the MotoGP era.