Marco Melandri (born 7 August 1982) is a former Italian motorcycle road racer.
2011 WorldSBK runner-up and 2002 250cc World Champion Marco Melandri will return to action in 2020, replacing the injured Leon Camier at the Barni Racing Team for the remainder of the season.
Beginning his sixth season in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, Marco Melandri made his move over to the series in 2011 following an extensive career in the MotoGP™ paddock. His time spent fighting in the 125cc, 250cc and GP series no doubt put him in a strong position for the SBK Paddock, and the Italian soon cemented himself as a title fighter in SBK. 2011 saw Melandri finish as runner-up with four victories, before spending two seasons with BMW where he was able to fight for the title but never take the crown.
Joining Aprilia Racing Team in 2014, he had a tough battle on his hands with the Italian team but was able to turn his season around and scored the most points in the second half of the season. Despite this, he didn't take the title and returned to MotoGP™ as an Aprilia factory rider. 2017 saw the Italian veteran return to the world's fastest production based series with the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team, and he made history as he took Italy's 100th victory in WorldSBK and became a frequent podium finisher. 2018 will welcome a competitive Melandri, hungry to take more victories.
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