Moto2, Luca Marini: "Assen? I'm more worried about final exams"

He will start for the Assen round only in the afternoon on Thursday, after taking his second written final exam. Then, on Sunday, he will return home because the next day he will be busy with the third test. It's exam time for Luca Marini too. Besides the ones he must face on the track, he must also take on the State examinations, which will conclude his scientific high school studies. So between days spent hitting the books and in the gym, he is preparing for the Dutch Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing round and his high school Diploma.

The first written exam is just a few days away.

“Time is flying, but I am trying to concentrate as much as possible on my studies since I'll be gone three days for the Assen race, where I will be focused only on the bike. Now I am studying with my girlfriend and classmates, helping one another out.”

How do you organise your day?

“In the morning I wake up early and study until lunchtime. After that I hit the books again and then go to the gym. If I still have some energy after training I hit the books again.”

The third test will be the day after the race. Will you bring some notes with you to study?

“Unfortunately no, because during the race weekend there is very little time, so I will need to think only about the bike. I'll study until Wednesday and then on Thursday afternoon I'll catch a flight and then return on Sunday after the race.”

The Assen round will be your first time. Are you more afraid of the track or the Diploma?

“I don't know the track. I have only been able to study it on the PlayStation. It is very technical. In fact, I think it is a complete circuit that has it all. Let's just say that I'm more worried about final exams.”

Assen is considered the University of motorcycling. Are you thinking about University for the future?

“I'm thinking about it. In fact, I'm listening to various opinions. Of course, if I were to pursue studies, I would aim for something connected to sports.”

Holland will be the eighth round. What opinion have you formed about Moto2?

“My feelings are more or less the same as the ones I had at the beginning. It is a category where the rider level is very high, but more than anything, within a few tenths of one another. I think this aspect is fundamental, because it really does not take much at all to be close or far from the leaders.”

Your goal at the beginning of the season was to stay in the top fifteen.

“That's right. In fact, I am quite satisfied. At Qatar I was even able to finish tenth. I could have done better at Barcelona, but it was a complicated weekend. From Friday I struggled a lot. I had trouble finding the ideal setup and with these tyres everything changes. It's a shame because it was a good chance.”

How far are you from being in the top ten?

“Not far, because in Moto 2 every weekend stands on its own. We need to try to give a bit more in the second part of the race, but we are on the right track.”

Last week, Luca Boscoscuro said that you are the rider who surprised him the most this season.   

“Obviously I thank him for the compliment. For me 2016 is a year full of surprises, where every race gives me the chance to learn something more and I need to do so quickly.”

The Catalunya round was marked by Salom's death. How difficult was it to get back in the saddle?

“Every rider is aware that it can happen. Of course, in recent years huge steps forward have been taken in terms of safety, particularly concerning leathers or helmets. I'm very sorry about Luis, because he was a rider and a young guy like me.”

Two days later there was a handshake between Vale and Marquez.

“To be honest, I don't see anything strange about that episode. In some ways I expected it. It was a great race between the two of them, a heated race where both of them earned merit. Vale did the right thing shaking Marc's hand.

With his brother Alex, on the other hand, how are things after the crash in the Italian GP?

“There is no tension. I was very sorry about the contact at Mugello, since I was forced to retire. That weekend I felt competitive and ready to bring home a good result. In fact, it's a shame that it ended that way. Despite what happened, I have great respect for him.”