From Monneret to Zarco in MotoGP: French riders triumphant on home soil in the Motorcycle World Championship

MotoGP arrives at Le Mans and the vast crowd across the Alps hopes to relive the emotions of 2025 with Johann Zarco as a hometown hero. A historic triumph, all the more considering that France had to wait 71 years to celebrate the victory of one of its favorites in the home Grand Prix of the premier class.

Before Zarco, we must go back to distant 1954, to the early years of the 500cc, moving from Le Mans to Reims. On a road circuit over 8 kilometers long: very fast, extremely dangerous. In that 1954 French Grand Prix, Monsieur Monneret found himself with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. With the imminent Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, several manufacturers skipped the event, except for Norton and, above all, Gilera. As a factory rider for the Arcore marque, Pierre lined up on the grid and took a fortuitous victory, helped by a technical problem that forced the retirement of the identical 4C ridden by pre-race favorite Geoff Duke.

Monneret made history as the first French motorcyclist to win a premier class Grand Prix, and while he was at it, he also topped the 350cc class aboard an AJS. All this with motorsport in his destiny and even in his DNA. His father Georges, a legendary figure, won everything there was to win in that era, from national titles to world records. So famous that he was nicknamed "JoJo La Moto," he later founded his Mondial-Monneret in the 1960s.

His children were no different. The twins Jean and Pierre (yes, indeed), as well as Philippe, were all motorcyclists. Back to Pierre: after 6 French titles on two wheels and 4th in the 1956 500cc World Championship, he switched to car racing. Here are two points of contact with Johann Zarco. He raced at Le Mans, yes, but in the 24 Hours for cars, on three separate occasions. In the last one, in 1965, as a factory Alpine driver.