Luca Marini’s VR46 farewell: I was only emotional on my wedding day!
Valentino Rossi’🐠s younger brother made his Moto2 debut with Forwarꦉd Racing in 2016, then became a race winner in his first year at VR46 in 2018.
Improving each season, Marini 𝔍moved to 🐈MotoGP on the back of title runner-up to Enea Bastianini in the 2020 Moto2 championship.
Initially joining Bastianin🐓i in a split Avintia/VR46 garage, Rossi’s team took other both grid꧅ places from 2022.
As in Moto2, Marini has progressed constantly up the championship table in each of his premier-class seasons, rising from 19t🧸h to 12th and then 8th this year, when he celebrated his first podiums and pole positions.
“It was a really fantastic period for me with 🔯the [VR46] team🍃,” Marini said. “We shared many great, great moments. The best moments of my career.
“Now we'll start a new era of my life, of my career where I hoཧpe to and I want to make much better results and fight for the top. So let's see in the future what we can do.
“But thanks to the [VR46] team fo💜r all the great memories and moments that we shared in these years. As I've always said it’s a family, where I’ve worked with a great group with great people, with a lot of laughter and smiles every time.”
Marini has aꦡ reputation for keeping his emotions ice cool on the racetrack, something that didn’t change even in his final race for VR46.
“No, I was emotℱional only on my wedding day! When I'm here, I'm in race mode and it is a different emotion," he said.
"Sure, with all my guys, during the [final] wee✨kend there were more hugs. A little bit more emotions.
"But when I'm on track, it's&n꧃bsp;something completely different.”
Marini’s decision to abandon a Ducati Desmosedici, which won races with🌠 six different riders and took podiums with all eight of its riders, for a Honda that was bottom of the constructors’ standings has raised some eyebrows.
But the chance t🙈o be in a&nꦐbsp;factory team was too great to ignore.
“[I] ♏have the best bike but going in a factory team, developing your own bike, talking with all the engineers and following your direction is a completely different thing,”꧙ Marini explained.
“I know ♐my package now is fantastic, the team is working very well and the Ducati is a fantastic bike, performing well every time and in ever🌸y situation… But also as a rider, I have dreams and goals to achieve and to ride and work for a factory team is incredible.”
Marini went on🐈 to finish tenth ꦦfastest, as the top Honda, on his RC213V debut at the Valencia test.
Speaking before Marini had tried the Honda, fu🏅ture team-mate Joan Mir said: “I think he's a smooth rider, and normally this type of very smooth rider is quite sensitive, also. Not braking like an animal and don’t careꦰ about the bike.”
Marini’s decision effective😼ly means he is doing the opposite of Marquez, who is leaving the factory Honda team to ride a year-old Desmosedici, at Gresini.
൩“In the end, I moved to competitive bike. He moved to a project that needs work,” Marquez said. “But I'm happy for him.”
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and ﷽Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
