Marini delivers points in Misano
Misano World Circuit Marco SimoncelliLuca Marini’s strong home weekend continued with a hard‑fought ninth place, achieving what he felt was his and Honda’s maximum from the Grand Prix. Meanwhile, Joan Mir retired from the race, as did both Johann Zarco and Diogo Moreira on the LCR Hondas.
In front of a record‑breaking crowd at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, the Honda HRC and Castrol Honda riders lined up for the 27‑lap Grand Prix following a calm and productive morning warm‑up.
Luca Marini once again rose to the occasion in front of his home crowd, building on the momentum from the weekend and locking horns with Fabio Di Giannantonio — a battle that would rage for the majority of the race. With the leading pack escaping after just a handful of laps, the #10 focused his attention on defending from the hard‑charging Di Giannantonio and made his Honda RC213V as wide as possible. The fierce fight lasted until eight laps from the end, when Marini’s tyres began to drop and he finally had to relent.
Earning seven points for ninth, Marini’s run of Sunday points continues as he now sits nine points shy of Aldeguer in tenth place. If this consistency remains until the end of the season, a top‑ten finish in the championship is a valid target.
Sapped of his strength again, Joan Mir’s San Marino Grand Prix ended after five laps as he withdrew after circulating at the back of the pack. Mir will now undergo medical checks ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix to better understand why his physical condition did not allow him to compete.
Johann Zarco set off from 14th on the grid and, after making a strong start, was fighting for positions inside the top ten. With just a handful of laps remaining, the Frenchman made a small mistake, missed his braking point, and experienced a low‑side fall. Thankfully, the Castrol Honda LCR rider escaped unharmed.
Zarco’s teammate, Diogo Moreira, told a similar story. Lining up just behind his French teammate, the Brazilian — who has continued to impress in his rookie campaign — made a strong start, passing his closest rivals and homing in on the top ten. However, on just the second lap, the Pro Honda LCR rider went down after losing the front. Like Zarco, Moreira escaped without injuries.
The MotoGP World Championship paddock will now head directly to Spielberg, Austria, for Round 15.
“We had a really good weekend overall, able to improve our pace and stay ahead of the other Honda riders. I gave everything today to keep Diggia behind me, I was closing the door constantly and I am sure he was getting frustrated. It was the only way I could keep him behind. Eight laps from the end the tyre dropped and my pace slowed which let him and then later Enea through – all my weapons were used! Austria is a really different track but we can exploit what we found on braking here at Spielberg. It’s a weekend which has the possibility to be a good weekend like here, but around this seventh to tenth position is our reality right now.”
“We had a really good weekend overall, able to improve our pace and stay ahead of the other Honda riders. I gave everything today to keep Diggia behind me, I was closing the door constantly and I am sure he was getting frustrated. It was the only way I could keep him behind. Eight laps from the end the tyre dropped and my pace slowed which let him and then later Enea through – all my weapons were used! Austria is a really different track but we can exploit what we found on braking here at Spielberg. It’s a weekend which has the possibility to be a good weekend like here, but around this seventh to tenth position is our reality right now.”
“Sadly today was the same as yesterday and I had no energy or power on the bike. I tried to ride by myself but there was nothing to be achieved and I thought staying out on track would only make the situation worse. It’s a really difficult moment to be in. Now we head for some checks before Austria and see what we can do to get my physical condition back to normal ASAP.”
“Sadly today was the same as yesterday and I had no energy or power on the bike. I tried to ride by myself but there was nothing to be achieved and I thought staying out on track would only make the situation worse. It’s a really difficult moment to be in. Now we head for some checks before Austria and see what we can do to get my physical condition back to normal ASAP.”
“It’s been a tough weekend considering everything that has happened. I’m pretty fine; it was a soft crash. I went wide and slid, and I couldn’t avoid the crash. I wanted to fight for the top 10, and my mistake was not being able to overtake the rider in front of me. From there, the situation got tricky, as I’m missing some points on track that would allow me to attack. We’ll try to improve and do better next week!”
“It’s been a tough weekend considering everything that has happened. I’m pretty fine; it was a soft crash. I went wide and slid, and I couldn’t avoid the crash. I wanted to fight for the top 10, and my mistake was not being able to overtake the rider in front of me. From there, the situation got tricky, as I’m missing some points on track that would allow me to attack. We’ll try to improve and do better next week!”
“This morning we found something after a tough weekend, and during the first lap I felt really good and strong. It could have been a nice race. The important thing is that I haven’t suffered any consequences. In any case, we take the positives from the weekend and move forward to the next one.”
“This morning we found something after a tough weekend, and during the first lap I felt really good and strong. It could have been a nice race. The important thing is that I haven’t suffered any consequences. In any case, we take the positives from the weekend and move forward to the next one.”
