Johann Zarco feels a difficult start to Tito Rabat's Moto🃏GP career, combined with the limited testing available made it harder for the Spaniard to fully adapt to the premier-class.

After being Moto2 rivals and world champions during 2012-2015, Zarco eventually became Rabat's MotoGP team-m🐓ate at Avintia Ducati this season.

While the Frenchman went on to secure the team's fir👍st pole position and podium, clearing the way for a Pramac Ducati move and upgraded machinery for 2021, Rabat scored a best finish of eleventh and is leaving MotoGP to make way for Luca Marini.

It's now been officially 🌞confirmed that the Spaniard will make a fresh start in the ✤World Superbike championship next season, riding for Barni Ducati.

With a best result of sev💙enth to show for his five MotoGP seasons - two at Marc VDS Honda then three at Avintia Ducati, but missing half of 2018 due to serious leg injuries - it's easy to forget Rabat's formidable Moto2 form.

His tit𝓀le-winning 2014 campaign produced 14 podiums (including seven wins) from 18 rounds, to comfortably beat the likes of former/future MotoGP riders Mika Kallio, Maverick Vinales, Thomas Luthi and Zarco.

An attempt to become Moto2's first-ever double champion the✅ following season saw Rabat lose out t🅰o Zarco and another future MotoGP star, Alex Rins.

However, Rabat – who broke his collarbone and then wrist during separate training acci♔dents - still took three more victories (and ten podiums) bef♓ore joining the premier-class with Marc VDS in 2016.

"For Tito, the overall memories are the Moto2 🦩years where he was pretty strong, winning the title, and then fighting with him for his second title when I got my first," said Zarco, who went on to become Moto2's only double champion to date in 2015-2016.

"It's a pity that in MotoGP he didn't find the opportunity to rea෴lly adapt well."

Both Rabat and Zarco waited a long time to become a world champion, Zarco finally succeeding in his se🌌venth Grand Prix season and Rabat his ninth.

Wh🤡ile Zarco has remained largely competitive, b🅷arring the KTM kerfuffle, Rabat suffered a difficult debut MotoGP season and has hovered between 19th and 22nd in the championship standings ever since.

Zarco believes th𒆙e uncompetitive nature of the 2016 satellite Honda (team-mate Jack Miller had a best dry result of tenth) made it more 'complicated' for Rabat to understand how a MotoGP ma♒chine needed to be ridden and he may have lost his way.

"Maybe he started in MotoGP with not a very competitive bike, at the b🥀eginning it was the [satellite] Honda, so it doesn’t help you to💫 understand if you are doing good or not," Zarco explained. "I think this was complicated for him."

Part of Rabat's Moto2 success was also attributed to a relentless training schedule on a similar 600cc bike around Almeria, but the unique nature of a MotoGP prototype meant nothing could prepare him for the꧟ pre꧒mier-class.

"He's a totally passionate guy, fully motivated. He's the one riding motorbikes the most, but this MotoGP category for his style he could not adapt well because he needs to ride a lot to adapt," Za🐷rco saiඣd.

"Unfortunately, with the MotoGP bike we can't ride that much and if you don't get it [how to adapt to MotoGP] quickly then you struggle and I think this has be⛦en his situation for many years."

The switch to WorldSBK means Rabat will once again have the opportunity to carve hi🌜s own groove ar🐭ound practice tracks during training, this time on a Panigale road bike.