Luca Marini keen to see Brazil MotoGP ‘progress’ after 2025 Goiania laps

Luca Marini is “looking forward” to seeing the way the Brazil MotoGP circuit has “progressed” since he first rode it last year, the Italian has said.

Marini was one of a few riders to take part in a short event at the Autordomo Internacional de Goiania last year, along with Franco Morbidelli, Diogo Moreira, Miguel Oliveira, and Eric Granado. The departure of Oliveira from MotoGP to World Superbike means that only Marini, Moreira, and Morbidelli of this year’s premier class field have previous experience at the Goiania track, albeit on production bikes, ahead of its debut on the MotoGP calendar this weekend (20–22 March).

Marini notes that the circuit’s layout was tight when he tried it on a road bike, a feeling that is only likely to be exaggerated on a more powerful MotoGP bike. But the Italian is keen to see how the track has changed since last March.

“I am really looking forward to this weekend; Brazil is a country that has a lot of passion and interest for motorcycles and discovering somewhere new is a unique point of MotoGP,” Luca Marini said.

“In 2025 I got to ride the circuit on the CBR, it was quite a tight layout and I’m looking forward to seeing how things have progressed and changed with the track since then. 

“Our package is quite strong from the start of a weekend which will help us to be competitive, new tracks like this make everything closer and we showed in Hungary last year the level we can achieve. 

“The Thai weekend had an acceptable end, now it’s time to make a step and get closer.”

Mir: “New circuits is something I’m usually good at” 

Marini’s Honda HRC teammate Joan Mir was on course for a top-six finish in Buriram before he retired with a tyre issue. The Spaniard his hopeful that the speed with which he has learnt new tracks in the past will also be a characteristic that serves him well on this first trip to Goiania.

“We come to Goiania with a lot of motivation; in Thailand we were very competitive on Sunday,” the 2020 champion said.

“Getting up to speed at new circuits is something I am usually quite good at and the Honda finds a good level quickly, so I think we can be in our target zone from the start. 

“Of course, we need to see how the circuit is and how everyone is going there but this makes the weekend more exciting.

“I have heard a lot about Brazil so I am looking forward to arriving in a new place.”