Zarco decides on Avintia Ducati?

An official announcement may still be pending, but Johann Zarco looks to have confirmed that he will be an Avintia Ducati rider in MotoGP next season.

Having seen his hopes of taking over Jorge Lorenzo's Repsol seat thwarted by Alex Marquez, Zarco is thus set to ride his fourth different brand of machine in just over a year.

Avintia was set to continue with Tito Rabat and Karel Abraham next season, when the team are again set to run year-old Desmosedicis. But when Abraham announced his MotoGP exit, having been informed he would not be with the team in 2020, it cleared the way for Zarco's arrival.

The Frenchman has now confirmed his intentions in an interview with Moto Journal, saying that Ducati Corse CEO Gigi Dall’Igna was instrumental in convincing him to ride for Avintia after his earlier doubts.

As such, Zarco is now confident he will receive a strong team of mechanics and crew chief, while his contract will be directly with the Ducati factory.

"I do not consider that I signed with Avintia, but with Ducati," Zarco is quoted as saying in the Moto Journal interview. "My goal for 2020 is not to be outside of the top ten, break into the top seven and aim for a place at the official team in 2021."

French GP promoter Claude Michy and even Dorna's Carmelo Ezpeleta had been trying to assist Zarco in finding a place on the grid next season, while Dall’Igna may well have been keen to have a rider closely linked to Lorenzo's smooth riding style back on a Desmosedici.

Once the deal has been officially confirmed, Zarco will make his Ducati debut at next February's Sepang test.