Marco Melandri

Marco Melandri, born on August 7, 1982, is a retired Italian motorcycle road racer with a career highlighted by significant achievements across various racing classes. Melandri's journey began at a young age, influenced by former racer Loris Reggiani, leading him through minibikes, motocross, and the Italian and European 125cc championships. He clinched the Italian 125cc title in 1997 and debuted in the 125cc World Championship the same year.

His most notable success came in 2002 when he secured the 250cc World Championship with Aprilia, dominating the season with nine wins. Before that, in 1999, he was the runner-up in the 125cc World Championship. Melandri transitioned to MotoGP from 2003 to 2010, achieving five premier class race wins. His best MotoGP seasons were in 2005 and 2006, riding for Honda, where he consistently challenged for victories and finished as runner-up to Valentino Rossi in 2005.

Later in his career, Melandri moved to the Superbike World Championship in 2011, where he remained competitive, securing multiple wins and consistently finishing within the top five in the championship standings. He returned to MotoGP briefly in 2015 with Aprilia. Melandri retired from racing after the 2019 Superbike World Championship, marking the end of a successful and diverse career in motorcycle racing.