After the injury suffered last year in Argentina, Florian Marino restarts his racing career in Endurance. The young Frenchman has joined Yamaha Viltais Pierret Experiences for the remaining events of 2018/2019 FIM Endurance World Championship. The 25-year-old man from Cannes will live his first race on #333 Yamaha R1 at this year’s 24 Heures Moto du Mans, scheduled on 20th-21st April.
BACK TO ENDURANCE – Florian Marino is not a rookie in Endurance: in 2013, when he was racing in World Supersport with Intermoto Kawasaki, Marino took part in 24 Heures Motos du Mans with Louit Moto Kawasaki and then he finished third in Superstock class. It was a great experience for the Frenchman, as he immediately showed great speed at his first race in EWC. Back then, his team-mates were Emeric Jonchiere and Lorenzo Savadori.
MARINO JOINS FORCES WITH XAVIER SIMEON AND FLORIAN ALT – The comeback of Marino to FIM Endurance World Championship will happen thanks to Yamaha Viltais Pierret Experiences, the team who won FIM Endurance World Cup in 2016/2017 season. The French squad has moved to EWC class since last year’s Bol d’Or and their goal is to get to the front immediately. Thanks to the backing from Yamaha and Dunlop and a good budget, Yamaha Viltais Pierret Experiences have secured three great riders for 2019, as Florian Marino will join Xavier Simeon, Florian Alt and reserve rider Vincent Lonbois. The ones remaining out of the team’s plan are Michelin Test Rider Axel Maurin and Alan Techer: the reigning FIM EWC Champion (with F.C.C. TSR Honda) had joined Yamaha Viltais for last year’s Bol d’Or, but finally he hasn’t been re-signed by the French squad.
AIMING FOR REBIRTH – The skills of Florian Marino rised when he was still very young, as he stood out in Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup and was awarded by Hervé Poncharal a test with Tech 3 Moto2. Since 2010, Marino has been racing in many championships: European Superstock 600 (where he was 2010 runner-up), World Supersport (Ten Kate Honda and Intermoto Kawasaki), BSB (he contested some races with Splitlath Redmond Aprilia back in 2012) and European Superstock 1000, where he nearly won the title in 2017 as Motoxracing Yamaha spearhead. Last October, he debuted in World Superbike during the championship’s first race in Argentina ever, as he replaced PJ Jacobsen in Triple M Honda WorldSBK Team. Back then, he scored a positive 11th-place result in Race 1, but Race 2 didn’t go that well, as a clash with another rider caused him to crash and break his left leg…
Translated by Alessandro Palma