Aruba.it Ducati’s Marco Melandri will take another step into the unknown this weekend as he gears up for his first outing at Thailand’s Chang International Circuit.
The 2002 250cc world champion made his long-awaited World Superbike return last time out at Phillip Island having been away for over two years.
Melandri immediately set the world on fire, putting his Panigale R third on the grid ahead of team-mate Chaz Davies and fighting for the rostrum for almost the entirety of the first race before unfortunately crashing.
He made up for his off at Turn 2 with a sensational ride from 10th in Sunday’s 22-lap outing to take his first podium in WorldSBK since 2014 in third place.
Despite having never ridden at the 4.5km Thai circuit, the Italian has been hard at work studying the track and reckons it won’t be too difficult to get the hang of.
“I never raced in Thailand, but the track seems quite beautiful and easy to learn,” said Melandri.
“I think the tarmac will be an important variable to assess, as from TV it looks like the riders were forced to take some peculiar lines. The hear also represents a crucial aspect to take into account.
“We already did a technical debrief with my crew as the Buriram track seems to require some rather specific set-up adjustments.”
The Ducati has struggled with tyre wear and engine performance in Thailand previously, with the Italian marque only tallying up one podium finish in the four races that have been staged in the country.
However, big improvements made to the Panigale over the winter should see Ducati contenders this weekend, and Melandri is confident that his team will deliver him the best possible package to fight at the front.
“I trust my team completely,” he added. “It will be important to start off on the right foot on Friday and set-up the bike well, not as much for Superpole but for race one.”
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