Joan Mir top Honda in 15th, Luca Marini last and ‘not expecting to be so far’

Joan Mir salvages 15th while new Reps🦂ol Honda team-mate Luca Marini is left 21st and last in the Qatar Spr⭕int.

Joan Mir, Tissot sprint race, MotoGP, Qatar MotoGP, 9 March
Joan Mir, Tissot sprint race, MotoGP, Qatar MotoGP, 9 March

The Qatar MotoGP Sprint classification made brutal reading for Repsol Honda with 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Joan Mir 15th and new team-mate 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Luca Marini 21st and last.

In between were the LCR bikes of Johann Z❀arco (16th) and Takaaki Nakagami (19th).

Starting 17th, Mir was hampered by a technical issue for the opening fiಞve laps, causing a lack of engine performance and leaving the Spaniard to wonder if he would even finish the race.

But the pr🍌oblem then disappeared and Mir went on to pass the factory Yamaha of former Suzuki team-mate Alex Rins, then Zarco, to at least finish as the ✃top RCV.

“In the last part of the race we were able to run in the 53 lows and I was catching the second group, w๊hich was quite good. I was able to overtake, and I finished the race with a good feeling,” said Mir.

“Our posiඣtion isn’t the best, but there are positives about the feeling. I think tomorrow will give us a chance to show what we can r𓆏eally do, fighting close to the top ten and being there.”

Mir finished 14s behind race win🔥ner Jorge Martin but within 1.5s of KTM’s Jack Miller in tenth. The top Yamaha was Fabio Quartararo, in 12th and 1.2s ahead of Mir.

Luca Marini, MotoGP, Qatar MotoGP, 8 March
Luca Marini, MotoGP, Qatar MotoGP, 8 March

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Repsol gar𓆉age, it was a 'character building' race debut for Marini, who qualified ahead of only Franco Morbidelli and then finished 21st and lastꦆ.

"A strange day speaking honestly because I was not expecting to be so far, nor wer🥀e the team,” said the Italianജ, who set a new Qatar lap record for pole last November. “All weekend, and in the test, I was more or less with the Honda riders but today we were very far.

“First, we need to understand why because ♕the feeling was not what it has been. I was really strong in braking but we need to improve a lot in other areas. It’s the first race we have done so there is certainly more to come and I am confident we will get there.”

Marini completed the 11 laps 25.✱6s from Martin and 11.5s behind Mir.

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