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Will Aprilia Demote Melandri to WSB?

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Aprilia wants to be competitive in MotoGP and is spearheading its effort with two seemingly capable riders, including Alvaro Bautista and Marco Melandri. Aboard a largely new motorcycle this year, Bautista has been running lap times about as expected … roughly 2 seconds arrears of MotoGP champ Marc Marquez. Unfortunately, Marco Melandri’s performance is something else, altogether.

Melandri ended the recent Sepang test as the slowest rider in the paddock (27th overall). Roughly 4-1/2 seconds off the pace set by Marquez, more troubling is the fact that Melandri can’t seem to get within 2 seconds of his teammate’s lap time on the same bike. Melandri put in a similar, dismal performance at the first Sepang test in early February.

Although Aprilia is apparently denying it, the Italian press has begun to speculate that Melandri may be removed from the MotoGP team soon, and that a bike would be made available to him in the WSB series. Melandri is a former 250 GP World champion, and even a runner up in the MotoGP category (with several MotoGP race wins). He has raced well in WSB over the last several seasons. You would expect Aprilia to make a move quickly or leave Melandri where he is, because one 2015 WSB round is already in the books, and the Thailand round is coming up in less than 3 weeks.

25 Comments

  1. John says:

    I hope not, I can still watch MotoGP on with my cable package, and I miss seeing Melandri’s girl friend. I was looking forward to seeing her in Aprilia shorts

  2. Nomadak says:

    Its early fellas. Jury is still out.

  3. pete Rasmussen says:

    Maybe he also needs to change his style of riding. Rossi had to change so maybe he has an old school style plus a bike not ready for the big time.

  4. Provologna says:

    Reply to subject question: Will I care? No.

  5. HS1-RD-CX100-VFR says:

    I see little upside to Marco switching back after the season has started. He is already 45 points down to two strong riders and teams, and such daunting riders like Davies and Sykes are in third and fourth place. He isn’t likely to return and be as strong out of the box as the riders who have been testing and have already raced this years SuperBikes. He would have to bust his butt to be really fast while avoiding trouble, and then need unlucky breaks to happen to several competitors, just to make it into the top five. One or two DNF’s and he could finish in the bottom five.

  6. Vrooom says:

    That’s bizarre, not only is he 4.5 seconds a lap slower than Marquez, he’s 3 second slower than the 12th place rider. The guy was fast in WSB, so that’s unexpected. Aprilia looking not ready, Suzuki looking ready, there’s the new team report.

  7. x-planer says:

    Melandri is a former MotoGP race winner. He seemed to lose the MotoGP plot long ago but was a beast in WSBK no matter the brand. Hard to figure except his MotoGP window has likely passed him by.

  8. John Alford says:

    Maybe Aprilia isn’t ready for “prime time” yet.
    Colin Edwards’ career was stymied, in my opinion, by his time with Aprilia (remember the “RS Cube”?).
    I can’t fault Marco for a machine that’s not up to the challenge.
    He probably should go back to SBK , career-wise, instead of being a “development rider” for Aprilia.

    • Dave says:

      I don’t think I’d go that far. Bautista, while 19th on the last day is still on the same second as 8th place and on par with many developed GP bikes, like the Tech 3 Yamaha, for instance. This is on a brand new bike so it has to be assumed that they have more potential for improvement from this point than the more established teams do.

    • Norm G. says:

      re: “Maybe Aprilia isn’t ready for “prime time” yet.”

      no maybe about it. their bike is basically a warmed over CRT. but they know this as they originally said they weren’t coming back to grandprix till 2016, but then they decided to pull chocks and chains on WSBK and hit MotoGP a year early. they prolly won’t arrive with a whole new engine till 2017, at which point they will likely have opened their V up to 90. this would be the angle I’ve always maintained has nothing wrong with it, but laymen said doesn’t work.

  9. Krisd says:

    Poor guy- a very talented road racer but just can’t settle on a GP bike.

    Kudos to his wife though!

  10. Jason says:

    Is it really a demotion if he didn’t want to race MotoGP?

    • DaveA says:

      Hey, Jason is onto something here. the rumor is that he’s essentially trundling around because he wasn’t happy to be moved onto the Motogp Aprilia team in the first place but had no choice due to being under contract.

  11. bikerrandy says:

    Last season in WSBK Melandri started out slow and eventually got up to speed and won races thereafter, beating his teamate. Until he get’s his race bike feeling like it fits him he’s slow. Once he get’s it dialed in………look out! He just needs more time to acclimate to this bike compared to his last which he took some time to feel comfortable on too.

  12. Gary says:

    When your teammate beats you by four seconds/lap, it is not a good sign.

  13. mickey says:

    If some of those guys are beating you (cough Abraham, cough De Angelis) you might as well find another venue to race.

  14. Martin says:

    When a guy as experienced and fast as Melandri can’t keep up, it just goes to show the extraordinary level the other guys are riding at. Personally, I would prefer to race WSB and battle for podiums than be a back marker in the premier class.

    • Norm G. says:

      re: “When a guy as experienced and fast as Melandri can’t keep up, it just goes to show the extraordinary level the other guys are riding at.”

      not so much. it just goes to show the extraordinary level the manufacturers are building at.

      (NATCORK – No Amount of Talent Can Overcome Recalcitrant Kit)

      this is motorsport, as such the honda 213 doesn’t come to cost a whopping $5 million dollars by NOT being engineered to specifically give it’s rider some degree of “mechanical advantage” over whoever he competes against.

      see entry for the “30 man boffin army”.

  15. Hot Dog says:

    Well, I could see if I could get some time off of work but I’m not so sure I can still fit in my Langlitz Leathers.

    • xLaYN says:

      aaaaand for MD Aprillia team Hot Dog….
      Imagine all the people on this forum giving you advice prior to the race… you’ll race to get as fast from everyone as you can….

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