Marinelli: "We’re Going to Have Two Strong Riders Next Year"
Ducati are ready to fight for the championship next year
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team’s story of 2016 is one of success mixed with a run of bad luck. Chaz Davies won 11 times throughout the year, more than the current World Champion Jonathan Rea, who only won eight times. But inconsistency in the early parts of the season saw him fall short of winning the Riders’ Championship. There’s no doubt that Ducati was the fastest bike on track in the last four rounds of the championship, with the Welshman winning seven of the last eight races. But four crashes for Davies and injury for Davide Giugliano hindered the team, but Ducati WorldSBK Project Director Ernesto Marinelli is looking at the positives, and hopes to continue their race winning form into next year.
“The four crashes are what affected our fight for the Championship,” stated Marinelli. “But this can happen and of course this last part of the season has been very positive, so hopefully were going to start the season with the same competition and pace as when we finished!”
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team welcomes Marco Melandri next year to ride alongside Davies and with similar career success, they will be equally matched armed with the Panigale R. Melandri has 19 career wins to his name with Davies just ahead at 20 and they were teammates once before, riding for BMW. The competition will be tight within the team but Marinelli is quick to assure that their competitiveness with push them forward than hold them back.
“I think we’re going to have two strong riders next year,” said Marinelli. “This of course is always challenge but I think both are very professional riders and both will stimulate each other to perform even better, so hopefully we can be there with both of them quite constantly. Of course this is what we’re wishing for and we will try our best to try to welcome Marco in the best way possible and give him a bike he likes and make Chaz stronger than he already is.”
Melandri already tested the Ducati over the 2016 summer break and results were positive. The next step for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team is to buckle down over the winter so they’re ready for the challenge of 2017.
“Of course the starting tests with Marco have been successful,” confirmed Marinelli. “Over the winter we’re going to go to Aragon and Jerez in November and then we will start again in January with a couple of tests, before we have to pack everything and send it to Australia.“
