Avintia VR46’s Luca Marini celebrated his first MotoGP front row in front of local support at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli on Saturday.

The premier class rookie completed an all-Ducati front row in third position after matching his factory cohorts for pace - the trio covered by just eight-hundredths of a second after a dramatic Q2 session at the Italian track. The 24-year-old, however, was far from surprised by the performance, admitting he believed he could do it after a strong weekend performance in mixed conditions saw him repeatedly inside the top 10.

“Yes!” Marini answered confidently when asked if he’d expected a front row for the Emilia Romagna GP.

“Yes, because with this tricky condition, I knew that the gap between the bikes is thinner. So, the rider can make the difference in this situation, and I just tried to put all the sectors together, to do a clean lap. At the end was really, not a surprise but something really great inside of me because when I passed the chequered flag I knew that was a really strong lap. Then I take a look at the big screen and I was third. So was a really great emotion, and a great feeling.

“I think that this year we work really well with my crew, with my team. We started quite far compared to the top riders, and also the feeling with the bike at the beginning was not easy to understand also. But anyway when I have a good feeling on the bike I can be strong and fast, so this is something that I'm really proud. I want to finish well this season in the best way that I can, to be prepared for the next season, that will be important.

“Tomorrow the race will be difficult,” he continued, looking ahead to the 27-lap contest. “Because in the dry condition I think that the gap is a little bit higher. We will see, because we never try, this two days. But I will be happy if I can finish in the top 10 position.

“I would like to take this like an opportunity for stay close to the best riders in the world and try to steal something from them. Try to understand and learn something that can make me grow like a rider and something that can bring me forward in my process to adopt to this category that is really difficult, and the race is the area in which I have to work more.

“I am getting closer to the top, but is something about the feeling of myself on the bike,” Marini said of his rookie season so far. “Because at the beginning of the season, there was some track that I was quite comfortable on the bike, like Portimao, and I could be strong also there, but every time I was missing something in the race. So I tried every time to work especially on this, but also build my feeling in gaining feelings with the bike every time for be better also in qualifying.

“I think that in the Misano test we did an amazing job, because we find a good solution on the bike. Now, the ergonomic side is much better, but also the setting is better so I can ride the bike like I want, like I like. And looks like a key with the Ducati because all of us we are keeping the same riding style in our career. Me, I'm riding quite similar to Moto2, Enea is similar to his style in Moto2 and also Pecco, so we want to ride the bike in this way for be at the top.

“Now I can feel more comfortable on this, and the performance is better. I know that today the result is, in part, thanks to the conditions, because I think if it is completely dry, it's difficult to be here, but I'm gaining confidence, and I'm growing a lot, every race. So I will try to finish this season in the best way because it's very important to start well the next season, and finish in a good shape, these three races.

“Here is the second GP that we had in the same track, and for me or for a rookie in general, is a great opportunity to try to improve your performance. We will see also in Portimao or in Valencia if we can be able to be fast and with a good feeling like today, because when I have this feeling on the bike I can be strong.”