Competitive race pace buoys Marini, Repsol Honda Team look to Monday gain

Florence [Italy], June 3 (ANI): Matching the pace of the top ten in the second half of the race, Luca Marini was able to post competitive lap times after Joan Mir suffered an early fall in the Italian GP.
A busy weekend at the Gran Premio d'Italia comes to a close for the Repsol Honda Team with Luca Marini fighting until the very end of the 23-lap race for the top Honda spot. Changes to the aerodynamic package of the Honda RC213V produced positive gains for both Mir and Marini as the pair and HRC target further improvements in the future, a release said.
Saving himself for the end of the race, Luca Marini was able to match the pace of those inside the top ten in the closing stages of his home GP as he hunted down Johann Zarco. Once again looking to focus at the positives, Marini rated this as his best race as a Repsol Honda Team rider to date - able to improve his pace and close the distance to the other Hondas. The Italian knows there is still work to do and speed to find, luckily Monday's test will provide the perfect opportunity for that.
Launching from 17th, Joan Mir moved his way into the group and found himself battling with former Repsol Honda Team rider Pol Espargaro in the opening laps. Seeing the group ahead starting to break away, Mir attempted to escape but fell at Turn 1 on lap seven. Unharmed in the fall, Mir will be back out on track tomorrow.
There's no time to rest as the entire grid remains in Mugello for a post-race test on Monday, the second in-season test of the year. Running from 10:00 Local Time to 18:00 Local Time, the Repsol Honda Team will be working on a number of items throughout the day.
"I think this race was even better than in Barcelona, the last seven laps I was feeling good, and my pace was close to that of the top ten. For sure there is still more work to do as the distance to first is too much, but we are working in the correct direction now. It's a pity I couldn't give a better performance for the fans, but it will be better in the future. Our base now is quite good, we need to keep working on those final details. Tomorrow at the test gives us a good chance to experiment," said Honda rider Luca Marini.
"Honestly the bike was feeling good at the start of the race and I think everything was there to make some progress forward so it's a shame to crash on lap seven. I was able to push on the front end and I was fighting with Pol Espargaro. I could see the group ahead starting to break away and he and I had a bit of a battle. Heading into Turn 1, braking behind him I lost the front and fell. It's a shame for sure but we pick ourselves up and get ready for tomorrow's test to try a few things." said Honda rider Joan Mir (DNF). (ANI)