Indonesia, September 27, 2024: With the wind in their sails from a fruitful Misano, Joan Mir and Luca Marini arrive at pace in Indonesia with the desire to continue their progress.
Set for its third appearance on the MotoGP World Championship calendar, the Mandalika Circuit hosts Round 15 of the 2024 season. Always producing dramatic racing, the 4.3-kilometre-long circuit sits on the edge of the Lombok cost to provide a stunning backdrop to on track action. Legions of Honda fans consistently make the Repsol Honda Team feel at home in Indonesia, ensuring every trip is more memorable than the last.
Joan Mir arrives looking to improve on his best memories of the season, achieved last time out at the Emilia Romagna GP when we rocketed from last to 11th. Having confirmed the recent developments by Honda HRC engineers, the #36 and his team will be able to focus on the finer details as the MotoGP World Championship’s tour of Asia begins. Mir’s best result in Lombok is sixth, achieved in 2022.
Indonesia holds fond memories as well for Luca Marini who in 2023 achieved his first premier class pole position. Consistently making progress with each session, Marini and his side of the Repsol Honda Team garage are out to repeat his heroics at home and continue to close the distance to the top ten. A strong end to the year will be vital for Marini and HRC to head in well to the next season.
Joan Mir
“It’s a good feeling to get on the plane after a better result, of course there is still work to do to get back to where Honda and I know we should be. But it’s a first step and now we must confirm it as our place in the next races. We’ve found something in the last few months so this is positive. Indonesia is a fantastic country to visit, Lombok an incredible island. You have to battle a lot of things there, the heat and sometimes the rain. Let’s enjoy it.”
Luca Marini
“I am really looking forward to Indonesia, Honda has such an incredible presence there – you see it every time you go. We arrive in a good moment, races where we are improving and making progress and now the bike is in the best position since I started with Honda. I am hungry to get back out and keep working, so having three races in a row is a positive for me. Indonesia is a place I like and I am very excited to see what we can achieve on the RC213V.”