Marini on Valentino Rossi: "I knew what was going on behind the scenes"

When Luca Marini was born in Urbino on August 10, 1997, his half-brother Valentino Rossi’s career had only just begun. Three weeks later, the eighteen-year-old Rossi became world champion in the 125cc class at Brno. It was the first of nine world titles. Today the Doctor is a MotoGP Legend, while Luca continues to make his way on track in search of his first victory in the Top Class.

As a child, Luca Marini regularly accompanied his brother Valentino Rossi to the track and witnessed his triumphant rise. There is an eighteen-year age gap between them. But the younger brother quickly absorbed a passion for two wheels and racing. At seven he took part in his first mini-moto races, at sixteen his first Moto3 wildcard at Misano.

Today Luca is 29 years old and, on the eve of the San Marino GP, he opened up to the microphones of the official website MotoGP.com. "When I was younger, I followed my brother to many places and countries around the world. I celebrated his successes with him. We all know what Vale has achieved." Not only did he witness his legendary victories, but he also experienced the backstage of an era very different from today. "I was aware of what was happening behind the scenes," said Luca Marini. "I enjoyed every moment and this special bond with Vale. I tried to learn from him."

The decisive step in Vale’s brother’s career came in 2018, when he moved to the Sky Racing Team VR46, the squad recently founded by the ace from Tavullia. At the Sachsenring he climbed onto a Grand Prix podium for the first time and in Sepang he celebrated his first Grand Prix victory. In 2021 the long-awaited leap to MotoGP arrived with Ducati, and two years later his first premier-class podium came in Austin.

At the end of the 2023 season he closed the chapter with the VR46 team to move to Honda. From next year, however, he will usher in MotoGP’s new era together with KTM. For some time now results have been hard to come by, the pressure is rising and becoming difficult to manage. But it’s part of a rider’s job... "Everyone has ups and downs, and in difficult moments it’s hard to look ahead and keep pushing," Luca Marini emphasized.

Fortunately, he can count on the support not only of his brother and a loyal circle of friends, but also of his wife Marta. "She has always done a fantastic job, she knows how to talk to me and when not to. We’ve known each other for a long time and I’m very lucky with my family because everything went exactly as I dreamed when I was a child." For Marini, this environment is one of the keys to keeping his feet on the ground. Outside racing he feels like an ordinary person. "I feel absolutely normal, but I know that what we do is something absolutely unique."

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