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NEWS
Melandri back in MotoGP
Has joined Aprilia’s relaunched MotoGP factory team after four years in world superbikeThe lineup is complete for Aprilia’s official return to MotoGP action in 2015, with Marco Melandri to ride alongside Alvaro Bautista.
Melandri rejoins MotoGP after four years in the world superbike title, including the last two as an Aprilia rider.
Aprilia is entering MotoGP a year ahead of the earlier announced schedule, and has signed a four-year agreement with Gresini Racing to run the show.
"I was offered the chance to develop a completely new project and it is something that I have not yet done in my career since I have always had 'inherited' bikes,” said Melandri. “Precisely for this reason I am very intrigued by this challenge. I am working with a company and a racing department which sought me out and with which I want to continue to work in order to develop and grow a great project.
“Aprilia Racing has always demonstrated their ability to make great bikes and make them fast. I'll put in my efforts. Our goal is quite ambitious: to grow a bike and at the same time to develop a new prototype that will race in 2016. It will be a demanding season and a lot of work but we are ready to take on these challenges."
Born in 1982, Melandri began his career at a very young age in minimoto, winning the Italian Championship in 1992 and 1994. Moving to 125 he became Italian champion for the category in 1997, a title which allowed him to début in the "eighth litre" MotoGP class. Third in 1998 and second in 1999, Marco moved up a category to ride a 250 two-stroke with Aprilia. This was the beginning of a Melandri-Aprilia match up where he finished fifth in the rider standings in 2000, third in 2001 and world champion (with nine wins and two podiums out of 16 races) in 2002.
Rising to the premier MotoGP category, Melandri immediately confirmed his competitiveness, finishing out the year in second place. In the various MotoGP categories Melandri has won 22 races and been on the podium 62 times.
In 2011, Melandri moved over to world superbike and was immediately a key player, so much that he was battling for the title from his rookie season, finishing the year in second place. Finishing third in the 2012 season, the rider from Ravenna was also a contender for the title in 2013, finishing out the season in fourth place. In SBK he has taken 19 wins and 31 podiums.
Melandri began testing at Valencia yesterday, and was 25th fastest out of 27th riders on day one of a three-day outing.
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Written byBikesales Staff
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