Melandri confident of overcoming Thailand issues

Marco Melandri is confident his Aruba.it Racing Ducati squad will get on top of its technical issues which plagued him during the Thailand round and is eager to fightback at Aragon after losing the World Superbike championship lead to Jonathan Rea.

Melandri confident of overcoming Thailand issues

Marco Melandri is confident his Aruba.it Racing Ducati squad will get on top of its technical issues which plagued him during the Thailand round and is eager to fightback at Aragon after losing the World Superbike championship lead to Jonathan Rea.

After enjoying the perfect start to his 2018 World Superbike campaign with a double victory in Australia, Melandri was hampered by set-up issues with his Ducati Panigale R which repeatedly saw him suffer with instability at high speeds on the long straights at the Buriram circuit in Thailand which forced the bike into aggressive shakes under the control of the Italian.

Melandri is hopeful of his factory Ducati squad solving the problem, especially for Aragon’s long back straight at the end of the lap, which will enable him to fight for the podium again at a circuit which has favoured the Italian manufacturer in recent seasons.

“Aragon is track that I really enjoy and I had good results there in several occasions in the past,” Melandri said. “I'm happy to start the European leg of the championship from there.

“Despite the difficulties on the straight we encountered in Thailand, I feel in great shape and I'm confident I can be fast. I believe we can fix the issues that limited us and challenge for the win or at least the podium once again."

Melandri secured a double podium results at the Spanish circuit 12 months ago on his return to the World Superbike championship while teammate Chaz Davies has clinched four race wins in the past three years at the track.

Rea claimed the 2018 World Superbike riders' championship lead from Melandri in Thailand by two points with Davies 12 points off of the top in fourth place.

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