VR46 team makes official the farewell of Luca Marini
Official: Luca Marini will leaveà the Mooney VR46 Racing Team at the end of the season
The roads of Mooney VR46 and Luca Marini officially part. The Tavullia-based team, in fact, has made it known that Valentino Rossi’s brother will leave the Scuderia, after six seasons, to become in all likelihood the new Honda HRC rider, replacing Marc Marquez.
"Mooney VR46 Racing Team and Luca Marini announce, after six seasons of shared goals, not to continue together in the 2024 season. In agreement, the time comes for both parties to pursue ambitious goals and results by following different paths. All the management, team and people involved in the project, wish Luke the best for his future.
Landing in the Moto2 Team at the end of 2017, Luca has achieved his most prestigious goals within this family. First podium in the World Championship in Moto2 (German GP ed) in 2018 and first seal in the middle class in the same year (Malaysian GP 2018 – 6 wins in total in Moto2 ed). Best overall result in the 2020 Championship when è in contention for the Moto2 World title until the’last race (P2 final ndr). Among the most significant moments, to remember that Luca è was the first rider to have ferried the VR46 brand in MotoGP riding the Ducati Desmosedici GP in 2021.
In the last two seasons (2022 – 2023 ed) then, he è been the protagonist and core of the Mooney VR46 Racing Team project, built around him to become among the most competitive riders in the Top class. Signing two pole positions, 4 podiums in the Sprint and two podiums in Sunday" this is the statement issued by the Mooney VR46 Racing Team.
To the official channels of the team, Marini himself wanted to send a heartfelt message of thanks: "I spent most of my career in the world championship in this team. We have grown a lot together and have taken away several satisfactions. This will be my last race with the Mooney VR46 Racing Team. I thought a lot before making this decision. I leave a fantastic stable that has contributed to my sporting growth and knowledge of the technical aspects and complexity of this sport. It's time to embrace my new path with enthusiasm, without disowning what è been, but with eyes focused on the future".
On the farewell of the centaur born in 1997 also expressed himself the team director of VR46 Alessio "Uccio" Salucci: "Luca l'I really saw him grow up, since he was a child, then sportingly I had the pleasure to see him become one of the strongest riders in MotoGp. I am happy to have shared six wonderful seasons with him, from his first satisfactions in Moto2 to his debut and first successes in Top Class. He is a professional with few equals, a technician, a true enthusiast before being a rider and a great worker. We are very sorry to let him go, he will be a really tough opponent in the future, but an opportunity of this kind è really too important not to take it and I wish him, together with the whole team, a very big good luck".
