zarco moved up to the moto2 class with the jir team, aboard motobi bikes in . he finished the season 10th in the standings with 95 points and was easily the highest placed rookie that year. in 2013, he moved to the ioda project racing team aboard a suter, he improved on his rookie season by finishing on the podium twice and ended 9th on the standings with 141 points. for 2014, he joined the new caterham moto racing team. he impressed on what many considered to be an inferior bike compared to the mainly dominant kalex bikes. he managed to earn 4 podium finishes, as well as 1 pole position, earning him 6th in the standings with 146 points. in 2015, zarco moved to the debuting ajo motorsport team, who he raced with in the 125cc class. zarco dominated the field and won his first moto2 title, with 8 wins, 14 podiums, 7 poles and a record points haul of 352. he remained with the team for 2016 and successfully defended his moto2 title, becoming the first rider in the moto2 era to win 2 intermediate titles, with 7 wins, 10 podiums, 7 poles and 276 points. zarco became a popular figure with the fans with his spectacular backflip celebrations when he won a race.