MOTOGP » MARCO MELANDRI
CAREER
Marco Melandri endured a disastrous 2008 MotoGP season at Ducati, which even prompted him to consider his future in the sport.
The former MotoGP World Championship runner-up was expected to enjoy one of his best premier-class seasons after signing for the title-winning Ducati Marlboro Team - Melandri's first factory ride since his 2003 MotoGP debut with Yamaha.
But whilst team-mate and reigning champion Casey Stoner steered the Desmosedici GP8 to six wins, eleven podiums, nine poles and second in the world championship, Melandri never looked comfortable and joined an increasing list of riders baffled by the Italian machine.
The high-point of Melandri's season was fifth position in May's Chinese Grand Prix, but it proved a false dawn and by June Melandri was considering 'throwing it all in'.
The second year of Melandri’s Ducati contract was duly annulled by mutual consent but Melandri ultimately chose to ride on and, despite Sete Gibernau being tipped to take the Italian’s place for the second half of the year, the #33 lasted the entire season.
But that persistence wasn’t rewarded and Marco finished just 17th in the world championship standings with 51 points, compared with 280 for Stoner. Kawasaki's Anthony West - whom Melandri replaced for 2009 - was the only full time rider to score less points.
Kawasaki proudly announced a two year deal with Melandri before the end of the 2008 season, and the Italian impressed during entail post-season tests for team, but his 2009 season was then thrown into turmoil when Kawasaki announced a factory withdraw from MotoGP in early January.
Fast forward two months and Melandri was named as the lone rider for the Hayate Racing Team, the unofficial entry which Kawasaki was ‘persuaded’ to back after being reminded that there was still three years to run on its MotoGP contract.
The Hayate team will use the 2009 ZX-RR with technical support from Kawasaki, although the machine is unlikely to be developed and Melandri’s main aim will simply be to remind the MotoGP paddock of his takent and secure a competitive seat for 2010.
Prior to arriving in the MotoGP class, Melandri had moved quickly through the 125 and 250cc ranks. In 1998, aged 15, he won his first 125 grand prix at the imposing Assen track, then finished title runner-up the following season, before graduating to 250 in 2000. Marco was a race winner in his second season and, aged 20, became a world champion in his third and final year in the quarter-litre class - prompting a factory Yamaha MotoGP seat for 2003.
Melandri premier-class career began disastrously when he injured his ankle in practice for the Suzuka season opener - then spent the best part of a month recuperating - only to injured again at the end of the year when he dislocated a shoulder at Phillip Island.
Countryman Valentino Rossi's switch to Yamaha saw Melandri transferred to the satellite Yamaha Tech 3 team. With his injuries recovering, Melandri scored his first two MotoGP podiums at rounds five and six, indicating his future stardom, but then came a dramatic decline, attributed to compartment syndrome (arm pump).
That required mid-season surgery, but Marco never regained his early season form and suffered a soul destroying second half of the season - during which he failed to finish five of the seven races.
Those DNFs left Melandri's value at rock bottom, but Fausto Gresini was confident he could extract Marco's talent and signed the #33 to partner double MotoGP title runner-up Sete Gibernau on a satellite spec Honda RC211V for the 2005 season.
It was to prove a dream partnership and, after careful rebuilding Melandri's confidence during pre-season testing, Marco rewarded Gresini by finishing third in his first ever RCV race.
Four more podiums followed before Melandri took a breakthrough debut MotoGP victory at the Turkish Grand Prix, then repeated the feat next time out at the Valencia season finale. Those wins helped Melandri finish a brilliant second in the world championship, behind Rossi, and completed a remarkable career turnaround.
Melandri unsurprisingly stayed with Gresini for the 2006 season - and was in firm title contention when he won two of the first five rounds. However, when Ducati team-mates Gibernau and Loris Capirossi collided spectacularly into turn one at round seven, the Catalan Grand Prix, Melandri became an innocent victim and suffered injuries that would ultimately end his title hopes.
Marco rode through the pain to try and limit the damage, was back on the podium two rounds later - and won a third race later in the year - but the championship was already out of reach by the time he arrived at the Valencia season finale. Nevertheless, Melandri still finished a dramatic season fourth in the points and had won more races than any other Honda rider, including world champion Nicky Hayden.
Ducati came close to signing Melandri at the end of 2006, but Gresini - aided by Honda - was able to retain his star rider for the first year of 800cc competition. Unfortunately, 2007 was a bad year for Honda, and even worse for the satellite riders, although Melandri at least managed three podiums, helped by his new Bridgestone tyres.
But it was soon clear that he was unhappy with the lack of technical support from Honda, given his previous success, and it was no surprise when - just before the summer break - he was confirmed as a factory Ducati rider for 2008.
Career Highlights:- 1992 : Pocketbikes, Italian Champion
- 1994 : Pocketbikes, Italian Champion
- 1996 : 125 Italian Championship (Honda) last races only
13th 125 Honda Trophy (Honda) - 1997 : 125cc Italian Champion – Honda, 125cc Honda Trophy Grand Prix Winner, 4th 125cc European Championship.
- 1998 : 3rd 125cc World Championship Honda - race wins 2.
- 1999 : 2nd 125cc World Championship Honda - race wins 5.
- 2000 : 5th 250cc World Championship Aprilia.
- 2001 : 3rd 250cc World Championship Aprilia - race wins 1.
- 2002 : 250cc World Champion Aprilia – race wins 9.
- 2003 : 15th MotoGP World Championship Yamaha.
- 2004 : 12th MotoGP World Championship Yamaha.
- 2005 : 2nd MotoGP World Championship Honda - race wins 2.
- 2006 : 4th MotoGP World Championship Honda - race wins 3.
- 2007: 5th MotoGP World Championship Honda.
- 2008: 17th MotoGP World Championship Ducati.
