The rider of the Mooney VR46 Racing Team talks freewheeling about the first year in MotoGP of the Team, Ducati and the championship that has just ended
Tavullia (Italy), November 23rd 2022 – “2022 marks a turning point in the history of MotoGP: we have never had so many riders at this extraordinary level and so close each other” – Luca Marini summarises his whole 2022 in this pill. A significant year for the rider of the Mooney VR46 Racing Team, in his second season in the Top class on the Ducati Desmosedici GP, which saw him compete in a new Team built around him and which only made his MotoGP debut last March.
Challenging months, but always ended with a plus sign and an inexorable and constant growth, which led him to be among the strongest riders in the second half of the championship up to the Valencia GP. 12th place in the overall standings with 120 points, twice really close to the podium in P4 in Austria and at Misano, for a total of 19 races completed (only one retirement at the Malaysian GP due to a technical problem immediately after the start) and 10 placings in the Top10.
My 2022
“The second half of the Championship, in terms of results, was incredible. I am really positive for 2023 because this season we have learned, we have grown and for next year we must aim high, for victory".
“Would I have signed for these results at the start of the season? I would say no, instead for something more. I knew I could do well, I knew I could be competitive, even without signing."
A couple of times so close to the podium
“Many times I was close to the podium, sometimes it seemed really within reach. What went wrong? There are only three places on the podium! There's no real reason to explain it, we've often been among the fastest on the track, but it's not easy to be one of those three at the end of the race. At least it's not obvious, not take for granted. Sometimes we lacked a bit of luck, other times we lost something in qualifying and we started from the back of the grid". 
The turning point
“Something changed between Le Mans and Mugello. There we found an excellent base in terms of settings which we then exploited during the rest of the season. Immediately after the GP in Jerez we had a day of testing and, for the first time since the winter tests, we were able to work on all the aspects that we don't have time to deal with during the race weekend, considering the timing of the sessions".
The new Team
“If we think that this group made its debut on the track, as a team in the Top class, just a year ago, we can say that the atmosphere is fantastic, both on and off the track. We bonded a lot, we are often together, we do normal things like having a dinner. Many of my technicians have children and so we often find ourselves talking about everyday life."
"From a purely technical point of view, after a rather complicated start to the season, we were practically perfect. It is impressive to think that most of the Team members were rookies this year. Everyone had to make sacrifices at the beginning, the one from Moto2 to MotoGP is a demanding leap in terms of workload. We had to get to know the bike, understand the new category and the guys were simply fantastic."
The Ducati
“The Ducati is the most competitive and fastest bike on the track. The results say so and the riders too. It's powerful and, in its own way, easy to ride. From the beginning of the season, the step forward made by the Ducati engineers is impressive. In the pre-season tests, the situation was critical, difficult, especially for me who immediately had the 2022 specs. From mid-season onwards, Ducati managed to open a huge gap over the other manufacturers. Congratulations to them for the work done, it paid off and I hope they continue like this. They really won everything in this 2022!”.
The MotoGP Championship
“What can I say, an incredible season in terms of riders and bikes. For those who have been spectators, a real show with hard-fought races. 2022 marks a turning point in the history of MotoGP: we have never had so many riders at this extraordinary level and so close each other".
