As the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship gets ready for its first round in South America, Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) heads out onto the Argentinian track with a point to prove. The Italian faces his penultimate round on the Borgo Panigale machine before a two-year tenure with Ducati comes to an end, one of two chances to go out with a bang.

Melandri sits 23 points behind fourth-placed Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in the standings with four races remaining. Whilst neither rider – nor anyone else, for that matter – has ridden before at the Circuit San Juan Villicum, the 36-year-old from Ravenna does have experience in racing in front of the passionate Argentinian fans – with one win and another podium finish back from his 125cc days, nearly two decades ago.

After a winless European season comes a new opportunity for the Ducati rider: "This is a highly anticipated round for us. It's been a while since we last raced on a new track, and it's always fun to discover unexplored places. On paper, it's a beautiful circuit. There's a good chance we will all struggle with grip early on as the track is new, but the lap times will improve constantly. Once we get closer and closer to the limit, we'll see the level of the competition. Personally, I'm curious and highly motivated. We want to put Magny-Cours behind us and get back on the podium right away”.

Follow the Ducati rider on this new Argentinian adventure thanks to WorldSBK VideoPass.