Aruba.it Racing - Ducati and Marco Melandri have announced today the winning combination will continue into 2018, as the Italian re-signs with the team ready to contest for another season in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship.



Joining Chaz Davies for the 2017 season, the duo have proved to be a strong force to be reckoned with, collectively securing five victories over the season so far. Melandri famously secured Italy's 100th victory in WorldSBK this season at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, his first since returning to the paddock since 2014.



Melandri, 35, is understandably thrilled to extend his contract and is prepared for the challenge ahead: “I’m really happy for the opportunity to prolong this professional collaboration, which represented a new beginning in my career as a rider. 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. 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 percent and assess our performance in the end.”



On a similar note, Ducati Corse General Manager Luigi Dall'Inga has been impressed with Melandri's performance so far, and is delighted to announce the news.



Looking forward to seeing what else the Italian can achieve on the Panigale, he adds: "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 Riders and Constructors standings.”



Keep up with how the Aruba.it Racing -Ducati team-mates fare around the German circuit of Lausitzring, as WorldSBK returns for the Prosecco DOC German Round.

