Baptism of fire for Valentino Rossi’s half-brother in Misano

Valentino Rossi’s half-brother Luca Marini experienced a baptism of fire on his Moto3 world championship debut in Misano yesterday when he high-sided out of last place at the first corner.

The 16-year-old had qualified in 26th position, but a bad start immediately dropped him to the back of the pack and in his haste to quickly recover lost places he suffered a nasty high-side in the first corner.

The FTR-Honda rider escaped unhurt but it was the missed opportunity to gain priceless world championship experience that proved more costly than the spill.

Rossi, who finished fourth in a MotoGP race dominated by factory Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo, said: “He was not very strong in the start and he lost a lot of positions and tried to recover but he did a mistake. It’s a pity because the experience of the race is so important. He grew up during practice but to make the race is another story. It is a pity.”