News

On Wednesday 12^th of October, Marco Melandri had a private three day test at Valencia, with his new Ducati Panigale R that he’ll be racing next year in WorldSBK. Melandri chatted to WorldSBK.com to fill us in on how the outing went.

"I'm very happy, it was a good test," said Melandri. "Only yesterday we lost time because it rained and it made working a challenge. In general, we continued with the improvements we began at Misano. I had a tank made for me, we focussed on the seat placement, handlebars and footrests, and once I found a good base we started working on various structures and geometries of the bike.

“Today (Friday) I did 95 laps. I came here with the knowledge of what I was expecting, I was more mentally prepared than at the Misano test. I already knew the major difficulties that I could run into and we have been working on counteracting this. We made targeted changes and some of them went well, others did not. We also focussed on different electronics settings and other small things.”

The Italian worked hard over the three-day test to iron out any bumps in preparation for his return to WorldSBK and while developments have been made, he admits there is still much to work on. “My rhythm is getting better and better but I think there is still something missing in every lap,” admitted Melandri. “Overall I’ve kept a good pace. I’ve improved a lot compared to the Misano test I’m more in control of the bike. I felt more at ease at this test in Valencia."

Melandri’s next challenge will be on the 16^th and 17^th of November at MotorLand Aragon for more testing, where the Ducati rider will be able to measure up against other teams. "For the first time I will find myself on track with all the other riders,” said an excited Melandri. “I'll get to become familiar with my new team and then we will work on general settings, because going on different tracks things can change. I’ll keep you informed on how we go.”