THE MotoGP season kicks off this weekend in Qatar as the sport adjusts to life without Valentino Rossi.
But one rider looking to fill the void left by the charismatic seven-times world champion is his half-brother, Luca Marini.
Rossi’s VR46 racing team’s Luca Marini hopes to step out of half-brother Valentino Rossi’s shadow in his second MotoGP campaign
Ducati Lenovo’s Italian ace Francesco Bagnaia is one of the title favourites
Marini, 24, is riding for Rossi’s VR46 racing team, which is making its debut in the championship.
And Marini, who himself will be in his second season, is now ready to step out of the sizable shadow of his big brother – although warns that he’s not yet ready to fight for the title.
He said: “I’m really, really excited for the start of this new season because I am feeling great.
“Last year was tough. It was difficult because at the beginning of the season, we didn’t have many days of testing, so I was always in a rush during the season to be competitive.
“This year, I have prepared myself much better and the two tests this season went great, so I’m really happy for my personal growth and feel that this year, I can enjoy it a lot more.
“It is still a little bit too early to say that I can fight for the title but the level of MotoGP now means every rider is so close because we all have a factory bike or similar.
“In my opinion, we can be the underdogs.
“The fight for the championship will be between Francesco Bagnaia, Fabio Quartarar and Marc Marquez but we don’t have anything to lose and maybe we can risk a little bit more, unlike these guys who need to win the world championship.
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“We can balance the fight between these guys but I think that now I’m not ready to fight for the title because also the team is new and we have to grow.”
The family link means that Marini comes under inevitable pressure to deliver but he says he is now used to coping with that elevated level of expectation.
And he says that he is not afraid to tap into Rossi’s vast experience, who raced in MotoGP from 2000 to 2021.
He added: “The pressure is not something that I never suffered too much from. Maybe because of my mentality.
“When I was a child, this link between myself and Valentino was a lot less. When I came closer to racing in the world championship, it became bigger and it was not easy at first.
“But I learnt to deal with that pressure because I have very big goals for myself, so I don’t have any more pressure from outside of my ambition and what I want to achieve.
“At the beginning of my career I did speak to Vale more because I didn’t have experience and I was asking about tracks and tyres.
“Now it is a little bit different and difficult to take something from him because Vale is the best rider in the history of the sport but he lived in a different era.
“But now I think this year he can help me a little bit more. We speak at every GP and he can help me be more consistent.
“I want to be competitive at all the tracks and in all the conditions. I want to improve my weakness and be the best rider I can from the start of the season.
“If you do these steps and you show your talent and your speed, then I am confident the results will come.”
MotoGP 2022 GRID
Aprilia Racing
#12 Maverick Vinales
#41 Aleix Espargaro
Ducati Lenovo Team
#43 Jack Miller
#63 Francesco Bagnaia
Gresini Racing MotoGP Ducati
#23 Enea Bastianini
#49 Fabio Di Giannantonio
Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati
#10 Luca Marini
#72 Marco Bezzecchi
Pramac Racing Ducati
#5 Johann Zarco
#89 Jorge Martin
LCR Honda
#30 Takaaki Nakagami
#73 Alex Marquez
Repsol Honda Team
#44 Pol Espargaro
#93 Marc Marquez
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
#33 Brad Binder
#88 Miguel Oliveira
Tech3 KTM Factory Racing
#25 Raul Fernandez
#87 Remy Gardner
Team Suzuki Ecstar
#36 Joan Mir
#42 Alex Rins
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
#20 Fabio Quartararo
#21 Franco Morbidelli
WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team
#04 Andrea Dovizioso
#40 Darryn Binder
MOTOGP CALENDAR
The 2022 season will see a record-breaking calendar of 21 races taking place across 17 countries.
6 March – Qatar, Losail
20 March – Indonesia, Mandalika
3 April – Argentina, Termas de Rio Hondo
10 April – USA, Circuit of the Americas
24 April – Portugal – Portimao
1 May – Spain, Jerez
15 May – France, Le Mans
29 May – Italy, Mugello
5 June – Catalunya, Barcelona
19 June – Germany, Sachsenring
26 June – Netherlands, Assen
10 July – Finland, KymiRing
7 August – Great Britain, Silverstone
21 August – Austria, Red Bull Ring
4 September – San Marino, Misano
18 September – Aragon
25 September – Japan, Motegi
2 October – Thailand, Buriram
16 October – Australia, Phillip Island
23 October – Malaysia, Sepang
6 November – Valencia, Ricardo Tormo
