VR46 rider Luca Marini thinks about victory at the MotoGP race in Austin and remembers the 2019 duel between Valentino Rossi and Álex Rins.
Honda rider Álex Rins secured his second MotoGP win in Austin at the US Grand Prix. The former Suzuki driver triumphed in Texas four years ago. At that time, Rins prevailed against MotoGP icon Valentino Rossi. This time, Rins finished ahead of Luca Marini, Rossi’s half-brother.
Marini recalled his half-brother’s duel during the race.
“I had this image in my mind exiting Turn 1. I realized it could be the day for a rematch (laughs; ed.). But Álex is really strong at this track,” comments the Italian, who rode home a good second place for Rossi’s MotoGP team.
Luca Marini hopes that Valentino Rossi will soon be there more often
VR46 was already in a party mood at the last Grand Prix in Argentina after Marco Bezzecchi secured the first win for the still young team. Rossi himself followed recent events from afar.
That’s why Rossi can’t help his drivers as well as when he was active. “It was easier when Vale was still racing in MotoGP,” confirms Marini. “Since his retirement, it’s more difficult for him to give advice from home.”
“You don’t see the tyres, you don’t see the temperatures and you can’t analyze the race pace that well. But when he’s there he can give us better clues than anyone else when he’s watching on the supply route. It’s fantastic to see him and to have in the pits, so I hope he’ll stop by more often,” notes Marini.
But even without the help of car number 46, things are going very well for the team. After Bezzecchi drew attention and continues to lead the World Championship, this time Marini was the focus.
Luca Marini thinks about the possible MotoGP debut victory
“It’s a fantastic feeling. I’m very happy with my race and the entire weekend. I enjoyed every lap here because the feeling for the bike was very good from the first practice session,” says Marini happily.
Starting from the front row, Marini lost a few positions, just like in the sprint race.
“I was cautious at the start because I didn’t want to make any mistakes. Jack (Miller) overtook me very aggressively. As a result, I lost a lot of time on Pecco and on Alex,” reports Marini.
“It was difficult to catch up from the first laps. After Pecco fell, I realized that Alex was making some mistakes. I was thinking about winning,” admits Marini. “It was possible, but in the end the gap was too big. In the final laps I just wanted to finish the race.”
Luca Marini shows strong development in MotoGP
“It was very important to manage the tyres. In the sprint race, I ruined my front tire after six laps. We don’t know what happened. Maybe I attacked too hard, so I was very careful with the tyres,” explains the VR46- Pilot.
“I wanted to overtake Fabio and catch up with Alex. But Alex rides very well at this track. This year he’s riding the Honda, which is maybe the best bike here because they’ve won a lot of races. It was impossible to beat him.” Marini is convinced.
“I’m very happy with my pace and my race,” sums up Marini.
“It’s a good result for our team and for my crew. They work very hard. I’m happy and satisfied with our work this year. It’s great to work with them.”