This is the first look at Johann Zarꦦco in LCR Honda colours ahead of this weekend's Australian MotoGP.

The Frenchman, who split from t🦩he factory KTM team after Misano, is taking over from Takaaki Nakagami at Phillip Island, Sepang and Vale🐟ncia while the Japanese recovers from shoulder surgery.

However, the three-race stint is also widely seen as a chance for Zarco to show his potential on an RCV, should a future opportunity em💖er🌟ge at Honda.

“I’m very happy. It’s difficult to fix a target, but I want to clear up all thꦆe feelings I got this year, because I had a great first two years in MotoGP, but this year has been really complicated," Zar🍷co   said.

"It looked like the MotoGP story was finished, b💜ut then Lucio (Cecchinello) called me to catch the opportunity to ride in these three races and yes, I’m catching it because it’s maybe my last three races.

"I took a bജig risk this summer quitting my contract for 2020, but I realized that racing is what I want to do. So now I have a short future, but I can live it with a lot of intensity.”

Zarco took six podiums during two seasons with Tech3 Yamaha before requesting an early termination of his KTM contract after ♋failing tꦐo adapt to the RC16 this season, taking a best finish of tenth.

Still hoping to see out this season, KTM instead decided to replace Zarco with test rider Mika Kallio from Aragon. The #5 was then hotly linked with a Yamaha test-riding r🎃ole for 2020, before opting for the LCR race chance.

Zarco will have Nakagami's 2018-spec bike. LCR regular Cal Crutchlow plus factory Honda ri꧒ders Marc Marquez and Jorge 💝Lorenzo use the more powerful, but also more physical, 2019 machine.

Double Moto2 champion Zarco suffered a frightening exit from last year's Phillip Island race when he clipped the back of Marquez's bike on the home straight, but 💧was in theᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ thick of the lead group during the 2017 grand prix, when he also qualified on the front row.

Nakagami has a best race result of fifth꧙ this season.

KTM has announced that Brad Bin♈der will now take over Zarco's place next season, with fellow rookie Iker Lecuona joining Tech3... which leaves a seat free at t🤡he Ajo in Moto2, should Zarco want to return to his former team in the intermediate class.