Melandri back in WorldSBK
The Italian will return to the championship after two years, partnering Chaz Davies on the factory DucatiFormer 250 GP world champion and five-time MotoGP winner Marco Melandri is returning to world championship racing, with Ducati signing the 34-year-old Italian to partner Chaz Davies in 2017.
Melandri competed in the WorldSBK title from 2011-2014 for Yamaha, BMW and Aprilia, claiming 19 wins from 49 podiums in 100 races. He replaces fellow Italian Davide Giugliano in the factory Ducati team.
“I’m really excited to come back to racing, it’s a dream come true,” Melandri said. “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.”
Davies and Melandri have already been teammates in the past at BMW.
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