2012 double Brno race winner Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) ended his Friday feeling happy with the feeling of his Panigale R machine, putting in the third fastest lap time and sitting just 0.477 from the top.

The last WorldSBK rider to win around the 5.4km circuit, Melandri is focused this weekend and hungry to return to the top step of the podium after a tough few rounds. On top of his good race pace, the Italian veteran also has a strong feeling in all weather conditions which could be pivotal this weekend.

“It looks like it is going to be unpredictable weather conditions,” begins Melandri. “It could be wet and it was important to understand which setting is good in case of a flag to flag. The feeling I have is a bit better than Donington in the wet, I have more grip on the track, so I am feeling confident in every kind of race condition.”

Setting a lap time of 1.59.880 in FP2, the 35 year old had a busy day out on track in all three sessions, as he has been working hard with his team in order to be prepared for tomorrow: “It was a difficult day because we found a different situation compared to the test, the grip was not enough and we needed to change the setting. But in the end it was a good day for me, because the team did a good job. It looks like the race pace is not so bad but on the flying lap I missed something, and for sure Jonny is a bit far away at the moment.”

Automotodrom Brno holds some good memories for Melandri, having raced here in both his WorldSBK and MotoGP™ careers, and he enjoys visiting the track: “It’s always been an awesome track for me, I have a lot of nice memories from when I was a kid. I am excited to be here, the Ducati is working good and I am motivated to get back for the win here, even if Jonny is a big far away at the moment.”

Keep track of Melandri’s progress and see if he can get back on the top step for the first time since Phillip Island, all with the WorldSBK VideoPass.