While fellow rookies Jorge Martin a💯nd Enea Bastianini both crashed three times during today’s qualifying day at the Emilia-Romagna MಞotoGP, Luca Marini made light work of the tricky conditions to secure his first ever premier class front row.

Marini was to♛wards the bottom end of the top ten heading into his final Q2 effort, but after using Franco Morbidelli as a marker in front, toppled with a stunning fourth sector, the Italian was able to put his two-year-old Desmocedici bike less than a tenth off pole. 

While this result may come as a surprise to ꧂someꦚ, it wasn’t to Marini himself because a ‘rider can make the difference in tricky conditions’. 

Marini said: "I knew the gap between the bikes was thinner because of these t🐭ricky conditi💜ons. 

"The rider can make the d💮ifference iℱn this situation and I just tried to put all the sectors together to do a clean lap. 

"At the end it was not a surprise, but something really great inside of me because when I passed the chequered flag I knew it was a really strong lap, then when I looked at the big screen and it sai🐼d third, it was a really great 💜emotion. 

"This year we have worked really well with my team, with my crew, even though we are 𒅌quite far fr𝓡om the top riders. 

"When I have a good feeling with the bike I can💦 be strong and fast in all the situations. This is something I’m really proud of." 

Marini has steadily been making progress throughout the season, and while he doesn’t have the flashy results of Martin in particular, the former Moto2 runne🦄r-up feels he is drawing closer to the top riders. 

The Italian rookie was not convinced he could have produced the same performance had qualifying been dry, but there are certainly gains that have been made (ergonomics and overall setting) sincꦺe the Misano test last monthꦰ.

"For me, I’m getting closer to the ﷽top. Also, at the beginning of the season there were some tracks where I was c🌞omfortable on the bike like Portimao and I could be strong, but every time I was missing something on the race," added Marini. 

"I tried every time to work especially on this, but also buꦆild my feeling with the bike to be better al🐼so in qualifying. 

"I thin💧k that in the Misano test we did an amazing job and we found a good solutꦰion on the bike. 

"Now the ergonomics𓂃 side is much better, but also the overall setting is better, so I can ride the bike like I want, like I like to, and it looks like a key with the Ducati. 

"All of us are keeping the same riding style in our career. Me, I’m riding similar to Moto2, Enea [Bastianini] is similar to Moto2 and al🌸so Pe💙cco, so we want to ride this way to be at the top. 

"I know today the result is in part because of the condition. I think if it was completely dry it ꦑwould be difficult to be here."