"Motivated" Melandri turns a corner in Misano!
The veteran Italian has put his experience to good use as he reflects on Misano, and states his eagerness to do well at Donington Park!
With podiums at Jerez, Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) continued his strong pace throughout the races at Misano, even if his result do not necessarily show it. The Italian was in contention for a podium in Race 2 before crashing at the infamous Turn 8, the scene of so many front-end crashes over the years at Misano. Earlier in the Tissot Superpole Race, Melandri leapt through from 19th on the grid to finish sixth, just under four seconds from the podium.
Saturday saw Melandri suffer in the Tissot Superpole, only able to manage 13th at a track in which he started from the front row for Yamaha during his rookie season in 2011 (fourth) and again in 2017 for Ducati (third). Nevertheless, Melandri pushed forward in challenging wet conditions, finishing sixth at the flag in the restarted race, of which he started from tenth.
Reflecting on his home weekend, Melandri stated: “Actually, it was a good weekend for me, even if I missed the result in Race 2 today. In the sprint race the bike felt much better for me; we knew it was going to be hard to finish top nine from 19th on the grid but, in the end, I had a little bit of luck and finished sixth.”
Melandri took advantage of a crash for his teammate Sandro Cortese and a retirement on the last lap for BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team’s Tom Sykes to be able to climb the order, bagging important points and a good grid slot for Race 2.
“In Race 2 I got a good start, but I wasn't going to accept a fourth-place finish, so I was pushing hard to pass Haslam, which wasn't easy. Unfortunately, I made a small mistake and went down. I'm sorry for the team and for Yamaha because they've been working so hard and they never gave up, even after difficult days. That makes me more motivated than ever for the next round in Donington, a track that will suit the Yamaha well."
Melandri clinched his first WorldSBK victory at the Donington Park circuit back in 2011, in a thrilling race which saw him come from the third row of the grid, pinching the lead with just two laps to go. You can watch the full race here!
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