WorldSBK: Melandri Returns To Ducati
Rennie Scaysbrook | July 29, 2016
Former 250cc World Champion, Marco Melandri, will return to the WorldSBK Championship for the 2017 season. The veteran will move to the factory Aruba.it Racing Ducati squad in place of the departing Davide Giugliano after spending 2016 and most of 2015 on the sidelines following his disastrous MotoGP return with Aprilia Racing last year.
“I’m really excited to come back to racing, it’s a dream come true,” Melandri stated. “I always said I was only interested in a top bike and top team, and I could not have asked for more. I kept following WorldSBK closely, and I’m confident the Panigale R can perfectly suit my riding style. We’ll just have to take one step at a time, but the potential is surely high. I know it won’t be easy to get back up to speed, but I have all the time to step on the bike, do laps and make sure I’m ready for the first test: to this end, I will skip the holidays to train on a street version of the Panigale R.”
Melandri will partner incumbent Chaz Davies, who will stay for the 2017 and is rumored to be eyeing a ride in MotoGP for 2018.