Marco Melandri signs for Yamaha WSB team in 2011

Published: 06 September 2010 Updated: 24 November 2014

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Marco Melandri has signed an agreement to join the World Superbike Championship for the 2011 race season.

Melandri will ride the Sterilgarda Yamaha R1 and follow former MotoGP riders Max Biaggi and Carlos Checa into the Superbike class.

He said: “I’m very happy with this new challenge, it’s a big change and I want to fight for world superbike wins,” said Marco Melandri. “It’s nice to be back with Yamaha; I know many people there;

“I was very young when I rode with them before, now I’m much more mature. As the reigning 2009 champions The Yamaha Sterilgarda Team have proved to have a very competitive package and are one of the top teams in World Superbike.

“I realise Superbike is not easy and I know I have to work hard. I’m looking forward to feeling the adrenalin again and fighting for the championship.”

“Marco is a great signing for the World Superbike Team. He has massive experience at the pinnacle of motorcycle racing and is extremely motivated to have the opportunity to challenge for race wins again.

“Whilst it is sad to see Cal leave us to move on up in the Yamaha family we are excited to have a serious title contender such as Marco joining us.” added Yamaha Motor Europe Racing Manager Laurens Klein Koerkamp.

By Michael Guy

Sports Editor - If you’re looking for sport insight that’s got its finger firmly on the pulse and gets to the very heart of the action with the fattest contacts book in bike sport (rather than simply relying on watching TV coverage and hoovering up what other people are saying on social media) – then Michael is your, erm, ‘guy’. An integral part of MCN’s in-depth sport coverage for over twenty years, Michael has been a fixture in every major bike sport paddock, and a few minor ones, too. He has spent a significant portion of his life living in the World Superbike global travelling circus, inside the British Superbike paddocks all around the UK, as well as traipsing the corridors of power within MotoGP and regularly making the Isle of Man a working destination for the legendary TT. Not only is he the consummate racing aficionado and journalist, but he’s also appeared on numerous podcasts, has delivered live race commentary from the booth, and has competed in trials, enduro, rally and track racing to a high level (with plenty of trophies and scars to show for his efforts, too). I you want to be in the know, Michael and the MCN sport team will get you close enough to the biggest stories in racing to be able to tell if they brushed their teeth this morning.