Johann Zarco was prepared to accept solid points for his run to 12th in the San 🌌Marino MotoGP despite acknowledging it as a fortuitous result after adopting the correct tactics in s♓howery conditions at Misano.

The Frenchman - a race winner with Pramac Ducati last season - is enduring a trying first season on Honda machinery as part of🅰 the LCR team with 12th place his best finish of the year c𝔍oming into Round 13.

It is a personal best that showed no signs of being improved at Misano earlier in the weekend, Zarco joini🔯ng his Honda counterparts in muddling around towards the bac💞k of the field in qualifying and during the Sprint Race.

H🐲owever, the double Moto2 World Champion would happen upon some fortune during the full-length encounter when he chose to stay on course in changeable weather, rather than join several others around him in pitting for a wet-shod bike.

A decision that𝓰 would come to fruition when the weather cleared - thus forcing those who had pitted for wet tyres to return to pit-lane and swap back to slick-shod machines - Zarco held his posit𝓰ion as the best of the Hondas to take the flag for four valuable points in 12th.

Though pleased to take home precious points - something he only achieved on seven occasions this year - he remains frustrated at Honda’s general lack🌱 of performance🐷 versus its rivals.

“We missed a 🦋lot in (terms of) pace and I am kind of sad that I couldn’t do anything. From the beginning of the race I wanted to fight but I cannot fo꧟llow the others.

“It is difficult to control the emotion on the bike but I knew we had this grey sky and it cou🍃ld be random conditions, so I am happy for🎶 this because we took the decision to hold our position to the end.”

LCR team-mate Takaaki Nakagami - who will be🍌 replaced in the team by Somkiat Chantra next year - was similarly relieved to benefit from his strategic 🥂choice as he came home for points in 13th.

“I saw a couple of riders into t🃏he pits and I waꦏs like ‘thank you’!

“We were a couple of places outside the points but we were super lucky, today 🧔we got inside the points. So it was a surprise.”