Zarco back on the motorcycle: Comeback in September approaches

– Johann Zarco has taken the next important step on the way back to MotoGP. Just under three months after his serious accident at the Catalonia Grand Prix, the Frenchman was back on a motorcycle.

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His comeback is therefore more tangible than ever, even though the return to the racetrack still depends on the resilience of his injured left knee.

Zarco was seriously injured on May 17 in Barcelona. After an initial race stoppage, the LCR Honda rider started again but was involved in an accident with Francesco Bagnaia and Luca Marini in the first corner.

His left leg got caught in Bagnaia’s Ducati while Zarco was thrown through the gravel trap. Initially, surgery on the injured knee ligaments was even planned. However, the doctors had to postpone the procedure due to severe swelling and a burn in the affected area.

Since then, the situation has improved significantly. An examination in early July revealed that some injuries were less severe than initially assumed.

The medial ligament of the knee healed well, and positive developments were also seen in the posterior cruciate ligament, which was initially classified as torn. The anterior cruciate ligament, however, remains torn. Due to the good healing progress, Zarco and his medical team decided against surgery and opted for intensive rehabilitation.

Zarco back on a bike for the first time

Zarco has recently been consistently advancing his recovery. In addition to strength training and extended cycling sessions, the Frenchman now had a motorcycle on his training schedule for the first time since the Barcelona accident.

At the Circuit Andorra – Pas de la Casa, he rode a supermoto machine. The seating position allowed him to initially load the injured knee as controlled as possible.

“Last week I got back on the motorcycle,” Zarco himself reports on Instagram. He chose a supermoto bike “to have a more comfortable position and to test my knee step by step while riding.”

The first laps were not only another training step for the 36-year-old but apparently also emotionally important. “It was so pleasant to do a few laps and prepare my body very specifically for riding.” At the same time, he emphasizes that it is still about controlled loading.

“The knee must be trained and stimulated step by step,” explains Zarco. Pain and renewed swelling of the knee are possible during rehabilitation and normal to a certain extent. The crucial thing is to control the swelling precisely to avoid impairing the healing process.

The fact that the first test training on a motorcycle could take place at all is therefore an important signal. However, Zarco is still far from full race fitness.

Zarco: “I approach this phase with patience”

In an interview with the French newspaper L’Equipe, Zarco describes that the limitations in everyday life have already become significantly less: “I still limp occasionally. Otherwise, I am fine.” The situation is more demanding on the bike.

The stresses of a MotoGP machine cannot be compared to a relaxed training lap on a supermoto. Zarco admits that he cannot yet ride at the necessary intensity. “I am not yet quite at the level I need to be on the motorcycle, and the vibrations still hurt.”

The real problem is especially evident with unexpected loads. Although he can already put the knee down in corners, a small bump, a ripple in the road, or a correction after a slide can still cause pain. “My knee still tends to swell.”

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Accordingly, he cautiously formulates his goal. “So I can say that I am happy. I approach this phase with patience. That is the big word in this challenge.” The plan remains clear: “The goal is still September, and I am working hard to be in the best possible shape by then.”

Aragon is an option, Misano more realistic

Zarco would like to return as early as the Aragon Grand Prix from August 28 to 30 if possible. However, the medical assessment rather speaks for a somewhat later entry. The San Marino Grand Prix in Misano, which takes place from September 11 to 13, is currently considered more realistic.

Zarco himself describes this schedule to L’Equipe as “optimistic but doable.” This means the comeback would be about four months after the accident in Barcelona.

Until then, the Frenchman must not load the knee arbitrarily. Surgery could still be necessary in the long term. In the meantime, Zarco focuses on training that puts as little strain as possible on the injured structures.

“Until I have surgery, my training will remain very targeted,” he explains. Sports with high knee loads are initially taboo. But he still has many alternatives for fitness building, especially cycling and strength training.

Test rule could ease Zarco’s return

There is also a special opportunity for Zarco’s comeback: Since 2025, the MotoGP regulations allow injured regular riders an additional test with their MotoGP bike if they have missed at least three consecutive events or have been unable to participate for at least 45 days.

Zarco easily meets these conditions. LCR has therefore asked Honda whether the Frenchman can complete such a test before his race comeback.

Photo gallery: The career highlights of Johann Zarco

That would be an important intermediate step: After almost four months without a MotoGP machine, Zarco could regain a feel for the load, seating position, and reactions of the Honda without having to compete in a race weekend directly.

However, the regulations set limits on the test. It must not take place on a track where a Grand Prix is held within the following eight weeks. In addition, the respective test possibilities of the manufacturer apply. For Honda, these are particularly extensive due to concessions.

Two long laps await at the comeback

Upon his return, Zarco will not only be challenged by his own fitness. After the accident in Barcelona, he received a double long-lap penalty retroactively. He must serve the penalty at his comeback.

However, Zarco’s sporting focus is currently on a very different question: Can his knee withstand the load of a MotoGP race? The first test on the supermoto is a positive sign but does not yet answer this question.

Zarco himself therefore does not want to force anything. “I focus on doing the right thing and controlling the intensity of my riding,” he writes. The body must now get used again to the specific stresses of motorcycle riding without endangering the healing process through excessive strain.

The San Marino Grand Prix is currently the big comeback goal. “I am working hard to be in the best possible shape by then,” promises Zarco.

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