Marco Melandri
| Marco Melandri | |
|---|---|
 Marco Melandri |
|
| Nationality |  Italian |
| Date of birth | August 7, 1982 |
| Place of birth | Ravenna, Italy |
| Website | marcomelandri.co.uk |
| MotoGP Record | |
| Current team | Kawasaki Racing Team |
| Bike number | 33 |
| World Championships | 250cc - 2002 |
| Race starts | 173 |
| Race Wins | 22 |
| Podium finishes | 61 |
| Pole positions | 9 |
| Fastest laps | 16 |
| Championship Points | 1885 |
| 2008 Championship position | 17th (51 pts) |
Marco Melandri (born August 7, 1982 in Ravenna Italy) is a MotoGP road racer currently racing for the factory Kawasaki Team. Melandri is also a former 250cc World Champion in 2002. Melandri currently lives 2 miles away from the famous race track, Donington Park, Leicestershire, England.
Contents |
Career
Early days
Marco Melandri was born in Ravenna. He was introduced to racing by a former rider Loris Reggiani at the age of six. He came through the ranks from minibikes, motocross and then the Italian and European 125cc championship.
In 1997, Melandri won the Italian 125cc championship, also finishing 4th in European 125cc championship. In addition to his European success, he made his debut in 125cc world championship at Brno, Czech Republic as a wild card rider.
125cc (1998-1999)
After impressing in Italian and European championship in 1997, Melandri finally got his chance to compete in 1998 125cc world championship as a regular. He rode Honda 125cc bike under Benetton Honda Team. He went on to impress many as he earned his first podium in the fourth race of the season, where he finished second in his home Grand Prix at Mugello, Italy. His brilliant debut season continued when he won his first grand prix at Assen TT, Netherlands. He won this race at the age of 15 years and 324 days which made him the youngest ever Grand Prix winner, at the time. Since then, Scott Redding has become the youngest winner, having won the 2008 British motorcycle Grand Prix. Overall, he won two Grand Prix in his debut season and therefore he finished the season at 3rd position in overall standings behind champion Kazuto Sakata and runner-up Tomomi Manako.
He remained on the same bike and team in 1999, where he bid to win the 125cc world championship. He went on to win 5 Grand Prix but failed to win the championship, finishing second behind Emilio Alzamora with just a single point difference. Failure in securing his first world championship did not stop his rise to 250cc world championship in 2000.
250cc (2000-2002)
Melandri was signed by Aprilia in 2000 to replace another Italian Valentino Rossi who left the team and 250cc class for 500cc class. He was highly expected to take over Rossi's shoes and to win the 250cc world championship. However, his debut season did not start as well as the expectation. He struggled to adapt to bigger bike and higher competition. He failed to win any Grand Prix in 2000, managing only 4 podiums, all came late in the season. Despite these problems, he still finishes the season at 5th position overall.
In 2001, his performances were improving. He managed to win his first 250cc Grand Prix at Sachsenring, Germany. However, it was his only win in 2001. Despite managing to appear on the podium on 9 occasions, he never really challenged for the championship. He finished the season in 3rd position behind champion Daijiro Kato and runner-up Tetsuya Harada.
2002 proved to be Melandri's chance to shine. With 2001 champion and runner-up, Kato and Harada moved to MotoGP class, he became the strongest contender for the championship. He dominated the season by collecting 9 wins and 3 additional podiums. After challenging for world championship for years, he finally won the 250cc world title. He became the youngest 250cc world champion at the age of 20 years and 74 days until Dani Pedrosa broke his record in 2004.
MotoGP (2003-present)
After securing the 250cc world title in 2002, Melandri moved up to MotoGP class to spearhead Yamaha factory team alongside Carlos Checa in 2003. Unfortunately he had with the Yamaha a worse Bike than Honda and Ducati, and struggled to succeed for the season. He finished the season in 5th position without collecting any wins and only two third Places.
He joined Yamaha satellite team, Tech 3 in 2004 alongside Carlos Checa again. This season, he again struggled to get top results. However, he managed to collect 2 consecutive podiums, but a series of crashes and retirements kept him out of top 10 in overall standings. He finished the season in 12th position.
Released from his Yamaha contract after the 2004 season, Melandri was the surprise choice of boss Fausto Gresini to join Sete Gibernau in the Movistar Honda team for the 2005 MotoGP campaign. Melandri was remarkably successful with Movistar Honda in 2005, with a consistent run of podium finishes early in the season, ultimately taking his first two wins in the final two races of 2005 to clinch second place in the championship. In doing so, he was the first Honda rider to win back-to-back races for nearly two years, winning round 16 of the MotoGP Championship at Istanbul, Turkey, as well as the 17th and final race at Valencia. Although he never really challenged his best friend Valentino Rossi for the title, he finished the season strongly as runner-up, with a total of 2 wins and 5 additional podiums.
Melandri rode for Gresini's Fortuna Honda team alongside Toni Elías in the 2006 season. With Rossi struggling to find consistency, he was a major challenger, along with Ducati's Loris Capirossi and Honda riders Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa. He again won at Istanbul, despite starting from 14th on the grid. He managed further wins at Le Mans, France and Phillip Island, Australia. He finished the season in 4th position, just 1 point behind Capirossi.
In 2007, Melandri and Elias remained in the Honda Gresini team, now sponsored by Hannspree. Honda's 800cc machine was not competitive. As of the race at Laguna Seca in which he finished third, Marco lies sixth overall, with an additional podium at Le Mans . After these 10 races, works rider Dani Pedrosa is the only Honda ahead of him in the standings - he and Pedrosa the only Honda riders with multiple podiums.
Immediately after Melandri's 3rd place finish in the 2007 USA's MotoGP round, Ducati announced that he will join its factory team alongside Casey Stoner for 2008 and 2009 [1]. But 2008 proved disastrous, with a run of uncompetitive runs often leaving him behind the semi-works Alice Team bikes of Toni Elías and Sylvain Guintoli. At Assen he qualified last and ran there throughout. Due to the poor running in the season, speculation persisted with Melandri tipped to move to Kawasaki after the summer break in 2008 to form a three bike team alongside John Hopkins and Anthony West, while his current seat was said to be taken over by Sete Gibernau for the second half of the 2008 season. However, on July 27th Ducati Marlboro team boss Livio Suppo confirmed that Marco Melandri would race at Brno, the first race after the 2008 summer break. On 19 August, however, Melandri confirmed he will be joining Kawasaki Racing Team for the 2009 MotoGP season to ride alongside his new teammate John Hopkins.[1] He then ended the season in a lackluster 17th position.
Career summary
- 1996: 13th in 125cc Honda Trophy with Honda
- 1997: 1st in 125cc Italian Championship with Honda, 1st in 125cc Honda Trophy with Honda, 4th in European 125cc Championship with Honda
- 1998: 3rd in 125cc World Championship with Benetton Playlife (Honda)
- 1999: 2nd in 125cc World Championship with Benetton Playlife (Honda)
- 2000: 5th in 250cc World Championship with Blu Aprilia Team (Aprilia)
- 2001: 3rd in 250cc World Championship with MS Aprilia Racing (Aprilia)
- 2002: 1st in 250cc World Championship with MS Aprilia Racing (Aprilia)
- 2003: 15th in MotoGP World Championship with Fortuna Yamaha Team (Yamaha)
- 2004: 12th in MotoGP World Championship with Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 (Yamaha)
- 2005: 2nd in MotoGP World Championship with MoviStar Honda MotoGP (Honda)
- 2006: 4th in MotoGP World Championship with Fortuna Honda (Honda)
- 2007: 5th in MotoGP World Championship with Honda Gresini (Honda)
Career statistics
By season
| Seas | Class | Moto | Race | Win | Pod | Pole | FLap | Pts | Plcd | WCh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 125cc | Honda RS125R | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 |
| 1998 | 125cc | Honda RS125R | 14 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 202 | 3rd | 0 |
| 1999 | 125cc | Honda RS125R | 14 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 226 | 2nd | 0 |
| 2000 | 250cc | Aprilia RSV250 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 159 | 5th | 0 |
| 2001 | 250cc | Aprilia RSV250 | 15 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 194 | 3rd | 0 |
| 2002 | 250cc | Aprilia RSV250 | 16 | 9 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 298 | 1st | 1 |
| 2003 | MotoGP | Yamaha YZR-M1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 154 | 5th | 0 |
| 2004 | MotoGP | Yamaha YZR-M1 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 12th | 0 |
| 2005 | MotoGP | Honda RC211V | 17 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 220 | 2nd | 0 |
| 2006 | MotoGP | Honda RC211V | 17 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 228 | 4th | 0 |
| 2007 | MotoGP | Honda RC212V | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 187 | 5th | 0 |
| 2008 | MotoGP | Ducati Desmosedici GP8 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 17th | 0 |
| Total | 173 | 22 | 61 | 9 | 16 | 1885 | 1 |
By class
| Class | Seas | 1st GP | 1st Pod | 1st Win | Race | Win | Pod | Pole | FLap | Pts | WCh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 125cc | 1997-1999 | 1997 Czech Rep. | 1998 Italy | 1998 Dutch | 29 | 7 | 17 | 6 | 5 | 428 | 0 |
| 250cc | 2000-2002 | 2000 South Africa | 2000 Portugal | 2001 Germany | 47 | 10 | 25 | 3 | 8 | 651 | 1 |
| MotoGP | 2003-2008 | 2003 Japan | 2004 Catalunya | 2005 Turkey | 97 | 5 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 806 | 0 |
| Total | 1997-2008 | 173 | 22 | 61 | 9 | 16 | 1885 | 1 |
Races by year
() (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Class | Bike | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Pos | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 125 cc | Honda | MAL | JPN | SPA | ITA | AUT | FRA | NED | IMO | GER | BRA | GBR | CZE 17 |
CAT | IND | AUS | - | - | |||
| 1998 | 125 cc | Honda | JPN 10 |
MAL Ret |
SPA 10 |
ITA 2 |
FRA 2 |
MAD 2 |
NED 1 |
GBR 4 |
GER 13 |
CZE 1 |
IMO 2 |
CAT 8 |
AUS 3 |
ARG 2 |
3rd | 202 | ||||
| 1999 | 125 cc | Honda | MAL Inj |
JPN Inj |
SPA Ret |
FRA 6 |
ITA 2 |
CAT 3 |
NED 8 |
GBR 5 |
GER 1 |
CZE 1 |
IMO 1 |
VAL Ret |
AUS 1 |
RSA 3 |
BRA 2 |
ARG 1 |
2nd | 226 | ||
| 2000 | 250 cc | Aprilia | RSA 13 |
MAL 5 |
JPN 5 |
SPA 6 |
FRA 4 |
ITA 4 |
CAT 6 |
NED Ret |
GBR Ret |
GER Ret |
CZE 4 |
POR 3 |
VAL 3 |
BRA 3 |
PAC 3 |
AUS 5 |
5th | 159 | ||
| 2001 | 250 cc | Aprilia | JPN 6 |
RSA 2 |
SPA 3 |
FRA 3 |
ITA 3 |
CAT Ret |
NED 6 |
GBR 3 |
GER 1 |
CZE 2 |
POR 2 |
VAL Ret |
PAC Ret |
AUS Inj |
MAL 11 |
BRA 2 |
3rd | 194 | ||
| 2002 | 250 cc | Aprilia | JPN Ret |
RSA 1 |
SPA Ret |
FRA 2 |
ITA 1 |
CAT 1 |
NED 1 |
GBR 1 |
GER 1 |
CZE 1 |
POR 2 |
BRA 4 |
PAC 2 |
MAL Ret |
AUS 1 |
VAL 1 |
1st | 298 | ||
| 2003 | MotoGP | Yamaha | JPN Ret |
RSA Ret |
SPA Ret |
FRA 15 |
ITA 11 |
CAT 13 |
NED Ret |
GBR Ret |
GER Ret |
CZE 10 |
POR 7 |
BRA 11 |
PAC 5 |
MAL 11 |
AUS Ret |
VAL Ret |
5th | 154 | ||
| 2004 | MotoGP | Yamaha | RSA 11 |
SPA Ret |
FRA 6 |
ITA 9 |
CAT 3 |
NED 3 |
BRA 13 |
GER Ret |
GBR Inj |
CZE 9 |
POR Ret |
JPN 5 |
QAT Ret |
MAL Ret |
AUS Ret |
VAL Ret |
12th | 75 | ||
| 2005 | MotoGP | Honda | SPA 3 |
POR 4 |
CHN 3 |
FRA 4 |
ITA 4 |
CAT 3 |
NED 2 |
USA Ret |
GBR Ret |
GER 7 |
CZE 6 |
JPN Ret |
MAL 5 |
QAT 2 |
AUS 4 |
TUR 1 |
VAL 1 |
2nd | 220 | |
| 2006 | MotoGP | Honda | SPA 5 |
QAT 7 |
TUR 1 |
CHN 7 |
FRA 1 |
ITA 6 |
CAT Ret |
NED 7 |
GBR 3 |
GER 2 |
USA 3 |
CZE 5 |
MAL 9 |
AUS 1 |
JPN 3 |
POR 8 |
VAL 5 |
4th | 228 | |
| 2007 | MotoGP | Honda | QAT 5 |
SPA 8 |
CHN 5 |
TUR 5 |
FRA 2 |
ITA 9 |
CAT 9 |
GBR 10 |
NED 10 |
GER 6 |
USA 3 |
CZE Inj |
RSM 4 |
POR 5 |
JPN 5 |
AUS 10 |
MAL 2 |
VAL 4 |
5th | 187 |
| 2008 | MotoGP | Ducati | QAT 11 |
SPA 12 |
POR 13 |
CHN 5 |
FRA 15 |
ITA Ret |
CAT 11 |
GBR 16 |
NED 13 |
GER Ret |
USA 16 |
CZE 7 |
SMR 9 |
IND 19 |
JPN 13 |
AUS 16 |
MAL 16 |
VAL 16 |
17th | 51 |
External links
- marcomelandri.co.uk Official website
| Preceded by Daijiro Kato |
250cc Motorcycle World Champion 2002 |
Succeeded by Manuel Poggiali |
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