Zarco keen for Pedrosa comments, carbon swingarm

Johann Zarco is hoping Dani Pedrosa's belated start to KTM MotoGP testing duties can help his own adaptation to the RC16.

The Frenchman has scored just ten points so far this year compared with 38 for team-mate Pol Espargaro, having struggled to morph the smooth style that worked so well at Tech3 Yamaha to suit the 'aggressive' KTM.

"I’m quite smooth on the bike and I am coming from a Yamaha and many times we think that is why I cannot adapt. I try to push myself and it is sometimes difficult," Zarco said.

"Dani is a smooth rider, but he has never ridden a Yamaha in his life. That is why we are really waiting for all his information to really see if my comments are wrong or not."

Zarco and Pedrosa will be on track together during Monday's official test, with the Spaniard - whose KTM test programme was delayed by winter collarbone surgery – taking part in a recent private outing at Brno.

Feedback from Pedrosa, a 31-time MotoGP race winner for Honda before retiring at Valencia last year, has already helped convince Zarco to try the carbon fibre swingarm this weekend.

"I am going to use it because I got confirmation from Dani that it is going well and I remember from Jerez when I tested it there were a few things good and for Pol it has been a huge difference, so now we’ll move on it," Zarco said.

"But, again, we have other things to try apart from the swingarm. Tomorrow we will have two different bikes that I will have to choose from."

Espargaro, who claimed a new dry race-high for KTM by finishing sixth at Le Mans, is also delighted to have Pedrosa on-track.

"It’s super-good for us," he said. "Dani was two days in the Czech Republic, which is a difficult track with hot conditions and he was able to do a lot of laps and tell us a lot of tricks to do on the bike. By the end of the day, second day, he felt some good improvements with the new package he was trying and this is super-important and super-nice so let’s see if we can use it as well.

"Now he will also test with us Monday, which is super-important because he’ll be with us all weekend knowing what is going-on on the bike and we can take a lot of conclusions together... Dani is Spanish so it is easier to talk very fast and also he is super-straight. He doesn't go 'around the corner' to say something! This is also good. In any language it is important."