New factory Honda MotoGP signing Luca Marini didn’t𒅌 have to think for long when asked to pick a Repsol rider from the past who has inspired him the most.

“My brother, it’s easy! He had a great history with these colours,” Marini told MotoGP.com during today’s Madrid team lau🐷nch.

Valentino Rossi won the 2002 and 2003 MotoGP ꦑtitles for Repsol Honda before switching to Yaꦇmaha.

But M𝓡arini’s second choice of inspiration was not a Re꧅psol champion.

“For sure also Dani Pedrosa, who worked a lot of time♉ with this team,” Marini said.

“I like him a lot, he's a good guy and when we talk 🅠inಞ the test it's very interesting every time. So I will try to take some inspiration from him also.”

Pedrosa won 31 races as a Repsol Honda rider from 2006 to 2018, making him the most successful premier-class competitor not to claim the world titlܫe.

Marini step♍👍s into the revised factory Honda colours, in place of Marc Marquez, for what will be his fourth premier-class season.

“It's like a childhoodꦡ dream,” Marini said. “I'm really ple൲ased to work with this factory, I think we made a good step forward in this test.

“Sure, we ⛦will👍 have something more to do more in the Qatar test but we'll be ready for the first race.

“It will be a long seas🍸on, very interesting in my opinion. I want to arrive at a good level in the middle part of the season. I think we can improve a lot.

“There is a lot of margin on all the areas of the bike and also I can adapt better to the⛦ bike.”

Marini feels the new c🌞olours also represent the start of a n🎐ew era.

"When I was a child, I always saw a lot of orange and a big Repsol logo, so it's something new. But also it represents the star💜t of a new project, a new era of Honda, fighting to come back on top."

Marini, whose Ducati experience is highly valued b🌺y HRC, was 19th in the opening Sepangᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ test. 

The final pr♌e-season test takes place in Qatar on🍒 Monday and Tuesday.