Luca Marini has officially been a Honda factory rider since the turn of the year: The Italian wants to get HRC back on the road to success and is aiming for victories
Luca Marini decided shortly before the end of the 2023 MotoGP season to leave the VR46 Ducati team after the season finale despite having a contract for 2024 and to take over from Marc Marquez at Honda. Marini tested the Honda RC213V for the first time at the post-season test in Valencia, but was not allowed to talk about the test due to his contract
Since the turn of the year, Marini has officially been a Honda factory rider. In a video, the Italian talks about the first Honda test for the first time and names his goals for the future with Honda. He is under contract with the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer until the end of 2025.
How did the spectacular transfer to Repsol-Honda come about? “It was a shock when Marc announced his move. My manager and I were looking for a way to tackle this new project,” explained Marini.
Luca Marini has a lot of confidence in the work of the HRC engineers
The Honda newcomer is convinced that the MotoGP project is on the up again. “Together, we want to improve and build a better bike so that we can win races and titles again later on,” says Marini confidently.
Marini has no doubts about the abilities of Honda and the team. “It is the best team in history. The figures and statistics speak for themselves,” he comments. However, Honda has recently experienced difficult times. Both in 2023 and the year before, the Japanese were bottom of the manufacturers’ standings
“The moment is not easy, but we have the strength to bounce back quickly. I will put all my energy into this project. I am sure that we will be able to hold our own at the top for many years to come once we have regained our former strength,” explains Marini.
Can Luca Marini prevail against his Honda brand colleagues?
In the first test, Marini already made it into the top 10 with the 2024 prototype. What are his plans for the 2024 MotoGP season? “I want to approach things with an open mind,” says Marini.
“We have to find our balance and then the next goal is to beat the direct opponents, like my teammate or my brand colleagues. That’s my first goal,” explains Marini, who wants to prevail against teammate Joan Mir and brand colleagues Johann Zarco and Takaaki Nakagami.
The dream of MotoGP race wins with Honda
“I would love to take a podium or a win with this bike. It will certainly be difficult, but we have to look ahead,” said the HRC newcomer, who has fond memories of the first day of testing with the Honda: “It was fantastic. The day went by very quickly. “
“It was really great to work with the people in the pits, including the Japanese. I love the Japanese culture and think that we can work very well together,” said the 26-year-old happily.
In the last MotoGP season, Marini finished P8 in the riders’ standings and stood on the podium twice. “The first podium in America was really great. It was a really nice place to achieve the first podium. I have very fond memories. They were very emotional moments. I would like to repeat that, preferably in these colors,” remarks the Honda rider.
