The icy eyes, the round smile. Take a good look at Luca Marini and you can understand what the result of hard work is. It is the realization of something, of a dream. He worked hard to be here, here in MotoGP. What a great thing to someone they said was just the brother of a legend, Valentino Rossi. Luca is much more than that and this is his moment. This is the turning point. “Of course – he says of Team Sky VR46 Avintia – It is a very important year that I will never forget. Not only for my career, but also for my life. I’m in MotoGP, the ultimate expression of this sport. I have to try to do my best and I hope I can stay there for many years because that’s what I really enjoy doing. Can’t wait to try the bike, after trying it, the desire will be even greater. “
It is the result of what sacrifice?
“I started a journey during my career by participating in the World Cup I think I got the right training, not the easiest steps in my opinion to get into MotoGP as soon as possible. I would have loved to have arrived earlier if I had come from Moto3, a category that teaches you so much, about the things you will never find again. They are actually found, but they are more difficult to learn. I went to Moto2, it wasn’t easy, it took a couple of years to adapt to the category, to the new reality that the World Championship is. In Moto2 the level was very high, it wasn’t easy to get results right away. Every year I’ve tried to do a little more, I’ve always felt stronger, with confidence in myself, every year I’ve tried to take a small step. Now I am walking a lot faster than at the beginning. And I think I took the right steps, made the right sacrifices, and when you take home a second place in the World Cup you will feel ready for that jump. “
Do you regret this recent past?
“You can’t have one. I felt like the strongest who could win the world title. I’m sorry I couldn’t take it home, that would have been very important. But being runner-up in the World Cup doesn’t take away the importance of last season from everything I’ve shown. I felt strong, fast, I really enjoyed it. It is now a closed chapter. Sport in general is very contemporary. Y.You may have got the results you want, but if you don’t move on, the future will get tougher. “
You are the main architect, but is there one important person who has helped you over the years?
“Not everyone believes that, but a lot is the result of my work, my growth, my results. My family is certainly behind it, My father, my mother and my brother and of course my girlfriend who has become part of my family. And then the trip with the VR46 Academy, we did something important with the others and pushed ourselves beyond our limits. And then all the people who really believed in me, who made me better as a person “.
What’s the biggest improvement you’ve made over the years?
“I have improved myself by 360 degrees in everything. When riding, in qualifying, in the race, in the way I work: every year I do something that helps me improve overall. I’ve worked on everything, I’ve tried to improve. I have nurtured my talent in order to achieve the best possible performance. “
What will be the biggest obstacle in MotoGP?
“There isn’t just one. A jump in the category is always a big change, there are lots of new things to learn. The tires, the electronics. And of course the power of the bike in general. These will be the first things I will work on. I am motivated, I know that there will be difficult moments, but I want to try to face them in the best possible way. I also wish there were some nice moments. “
Does your physical training change?
“The basic physical preparation is the same, it remains the same, it has always worked well over the past few years. I don’t feel the need to change it, but I will adapt it to MotoGP. The Ducati requires a lot of physical exertion. I have to increase my strength. I am ready to do this, I am ready for everything to be quick. “
What about the driving position?
“That too. We are already talking to the Ducati technicians about the ergonomics of the bike in order to tailor it for me. Ducati always had riders of different stature. I think of Dovi and Petrucci. Everyone has to. I’ll start from the basic position. Then we have to work on the weight balance to get the most out of my height and weight during a race. You have already spoken I’m excited to work on that too: adapting my riding style to the demands of the bike and adapting the bike to what I do need to be able to perform on a Ducati. “
All your life they have asked you what advice your brother Valentino gave you. Now we have arrived. Did he tell you something? Everything practical too.
“Practical advice this year will be more useful than ever. After you haven’t raced in Moto2, a person with more experience than you can tell you a lot of things, especially about the tracks or how qualifying works, the race, how to work. But if you don’t try the tires, the new things in the category, it’s no use. In the end, the experience I gained was very good. While this year is all new I’m in the category that Vale has been racing in for many years and seen its evolution. I will ask him many things, just like others. But it’s me who have to go out on the track and try to drive as best I can. It’s not that the more advice I get, the better I go. From a technical point of view, however, we’re talking about the tires and how the track changes on a race weekend. The race is always the worst moment on the track. “
But does playing Vale have any effect on you?
“Yes, of course there is no way that it doesn’t concern me or that I don’t think about it. We’ll both be busy with the work we have to do, everything else fading into the background. And when I get the chance to fight I’ll try to beat him like he will try to beat me. “
Vale is now 42 years old. What do you wish him And yourself?
“I hope we are both happy. The most important thing in life is to do what we love. A person can only be okay when he is happy. “