Melandri returning to Ducati in 2018

The Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team has finalised its roster for the 2018 Superbike World Championship, with Italian Marco Melandri to return alongside Briton Chaz Davies.

The returning Melandri, 35, has been on the podium seven times so far in 2017, which included a victory a Misano. He's currently fourth in the standings with five rounds (10 races) to go, starting this weekend (August 18-20) at the Lausiztring in Germany.

Collectively, Davies and Melandri share 44 wins and 115 podiums in WorldSBK competition.

“I’m really happy for the opportunity to prolong this professional collaboration, which represented a new beginning in my career as a rider,” said Melandri.

“Together with Ducati and Aruba.it, we enjoyed some really memorable moments, while in other occasions I think my long break from racing affected our performance, so I’m sure there’s still plenty of room to improve.

"To this end, continuing with the same team and the same bike represents the best possible opportunity to achieve higher goals. I’m ready to tackle a new season with more experience and confidence, and it’s a challenge that makes me incredibly happy.

"First of all, however, we need to finish the current championship as strongly as possible. With five rounds to go, we’ll always give our 100 per cent and assess our performance in the end.”

Luigi Dall’Igna, Ducati Corse General Manager, said: “We’re really happy to consolidate our efforts in the WorldSBK Championship based on continuity, both in terms of the technical package and the riders’ roster.

"One year ago, Marco started a new adventure with great enthusiasm, showing his talent since the very first outing with the Panigale R despite coming back from a long absence.

"His qualities are quite obvious, as shown by the results achieved thus far this year. That said, we believe we can reach even more ambitious goals together. With Melandri and Davies, our target is obviously the championship title, both in the rider and constructor standings.”