Healthy Repsol Honda team return to Misano
Sep 19, 2024
Misano [Italy], September 19 : A rejuvenated Joan Mir and Luca Marini are ready to make amends after illness dealt a harsh blow the first time around, the unique 2024 schedule offering them redemption in Misano.
Just a week later, the MotoGP World Championship is back at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for a second round - the Gran Premio dell'Emilia-Romagna. It will be a week of taking profit from the lessons learned in the previous visit and the important Monday Test for everyone on the grid.
Joan Mir's weekend can only improve compared to his previous visit to the Italian coast, now free of the virus that struck him down. The goal for this second edition remains largely the same as the first for the 36; continue to improve his Honda RC213V based on the setup gamble in Aragon and what he and his side of the garage learned on Monday. Putting together a competitive weekend in Italy will be important to prepare for the coming flood of races.
Although forced to miss Sunday, Luca Marini arrives back in Misano with clear intentions to improve and is aided by the data gathered during the weekend and the test. Increased bike time throughout the 2024 season has seen the Italian make consistent steps forward and a second race at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli will give him and the Repsol Honda Team a unique chance to continue building on their base with a direct comparison. As always, the local hero will have the home crowd as the extra wind in his sails.
This weekend marks the start of the first of two triple headers in the most intense period of the year. Once the race on track is over, the race will be on to pack and travel across the globe to arrive in Lombok, Indonesia for the next round the very next weekend.
"If we do a single lap during this weekend, it will already be better than the last one. I am feeling much better now and have been able to train fully during this week away from the track, my physical condition is not a problem. We were able to catch up a bit on the Monday test and try a couple of things which should let us hit the ground running this weekend. Let's see what the weekend brings as we start this intense period of races, " said Honda rider Joan Mir.
"The only way to go this weekend is up! I was really disappointed not to race last weekend but it was the correct decision. We got a lot done at the test despite my condition which was positive and after the test, we have a couple of things to try this weekend to improve our performance. It's a privilege to have another opportunity to race in front of the home fans again and the objective is to have a more competitive weekend for them," said Honda rider Luca Marini.