Joan Mir, Luca Marini buoyed by Zarco’s performance

“Our bike is starting to be more competitive”

Johann Zarco, Brad Binder, 2024 Indonesian MotoGP
Johann Zarco, Brad Binder, 2024 Indonesian MotoGP

Repsol Honda team-mates 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Luca Marini and 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Joan Mir saw their Indonesian MotoGP hopes end after just a few co☂rners of Sundayꦛ’s race.

Marini was down and out on the spot after being caught up in a four-rider incident triggered when Jack Miller lost the front of𒁏 his KTM.

“Just bad luck,” said Marini. “Anyway, this race was quite stranᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚge, only 12 riders finished, so it was very easy to take points today. But my bike was destroyed, so it was impossible to rejoin the race.”

Mir was forced off track as he swerved around the fallen bikes and riders, rejoining in last place before crashing out on lap🦂 13.

“I waꦍs last by 3 seconds,” he said. “It was very difficult to warm the tyres at the beginning because they were pretty hard here. Then I caught and overtook Rins, started to do ‘31 lows and lost the front in turn one🌟.

“This weekend I was not able to get a good feeling from the bike. I always was struggling in some areas. So we have to understand, make a rese𝔍t and go to Motegiꦚ that is a more ‘normal’ track let's say and see where we are.”

But while the Repsol riders left Sunday’s race✤ empty-han♈ded, LCR’s Johann Zarco took Honda’s best result of the season with ninth place (from seventh on the grid) with a margin of 15.5s to victory after 27 laps.

To put that margin into context, it would have put Zarco a fraction behind Maverick Vinales in a fight for si🌼xth at the previous Emilia Romagna round.

“In Misano it was me that was able to do something more and here it was Johann,” said Mir. “He made a very good job with the team. They worked very well and all together they know how to manage all the problems that we are having at the moment with the bike. Also Taka [Nakagami, 11th at the finish] was fast and so hope that in 🧸Motegi we put everything on the table and we are able to be to be faster.”

Joan Mir, 2024 Indonesian MotoGP
Joan Mir, 2024 Indonesian MotoGP

Marini labelled Zarco’s performance as tไhe most positive aspect of the race.

“Our bike is starting to be more competitive, also if we see the performance of Johann, it's good,” said the Italian. “The gap between him and the first is good. So it's just a pity for my resꦿult, but I think for the development of the bike it's a great moment and we have to be satisfied about this. Just work more for the next one.”

That ‘next one’ is Honda’s home round at Motegi this weekend, Marini’s first as an RC213V♔ rider.

“I am really looking forward to racing in Japan as an HRC rider,” he said. “🦩It’s an incredible country and to arrive there with this bike and these colours is something that many people dream about, I want to enjoy the whole weekend.

“Of course, the best way to enjoy is🅷 on the track and I know that we can again be strong like in Misano and Indonesia before the crash on Sunday.”

Mir, twelfth in last year’s wet Japanese MotoGP, added: “As a Honda rider Motegi is spe🃏cial, I really noticed it last year. It’s something you always look forward to and I’m looking forward to giving all the Honda fans so꧋mething to cheer about.”

Zarco is the top Honda rider in the world championship standings, albeit in 17th, with ꧟31 points. Nakagami is 18th (25 points), Mir 20th (20 points) and Marini 24th (5 points).

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