Marco Melandri was born in Ravenna in 7/8/1982 a Ravenna and he starts riding mini-motobikes at 8 years old. His talent is shown in no time and at 15 years old he debuts in the 125cc World Championship.In 1998 Marco Melandri , aged 15, wins his first 125 cc Gran Prix nella classe 125 in Assen, confirming himself as the youngest pilot ever to conquer that kind of victory.In 2000 he upgrades his category riding the official 250cc Aprilia, and in 2002 he breaks a new record: at 20 years old he is the youngest 250cc World Champion, with the astonishing result of 16 won races.In 2003 Marco starts to ride in MotoGP with Yamaha M1 of the Yamaha Team, winning the podium in 2004 on the Barcelona circuit becoming the youngest pilot to step on the MotoGP podium.2005 starts with a new challenge for Marco Melandri, the passage to the Team Telefonica Movistar Honda. Marco will try to express at his best his efficiency on a Honda RC211V and at the end of the season he will be the Vice Champion.With the Team Fortuna Gresini, in first place on the Honda RC211V, and in 2007 on the RC212V, is another moment of professional and personal growth: often stepping the podium, also the year 2006 sees Marco winning.He ends the 2006 Championship in the 4th place with 228 points.In 2007 he concludes the Championship in the 5th place with157 points.2008.A very important year for Marco who joins the team Team Ducati next to Casey Stoner. An Italian talent in an Italian team and… it’s a kind of magic!The burden of success starts to become heavy, the stress caused by the great expectations loads on Marco. Something interrupts the dream of the Champion among lost races, bad falls and a general feeling of defeat. In addiction to all this, the goodbye to the Ducati Team after just a one year collaboration. Now The road ahead seems very difficult to wall through.2009 The rebirth year. Marco signs with the official Kawasaki, but at the beginning of the year the Company communicates the intention to quit the competitions. The Team is committed to an external team with no back-up nor development department. But Marco decides not to give up.The burden of success make room to the lightness of the new beginning, and Marco, with the courage and the Humility of a real champion, starts over in silence with this new team hungry of victory. Since the very first tests, results are positive and later the entrance in the Hayate team is the real beginning of a new adventureWith the Hayate Team Marco starts the season with all the signs of the decidedly positive results, that culminats with the 2nd place at LeMans .The season ends with a great 10th place, despite the clear technical inferiority of his motorbike.2010. Marco gets back to ride an Honda, the Team is the same with which he shared many successes: the Gresini Team, now sponsored by the San Carlo Brand. Expectations are very high, unfortunately the Honda Clienti motorbike cannot match up with the official ones. Marco ends the season at the 10th place. 2011. Marco moves to the Superbikes. He is ready to fight to win. In MotoGP without an official motorbike it is no more possible. Yamaha chooses him as its best pilot for its Official SBK Team. At his first race in Australia he steps on the podium even though he just came back from a shoulder surgery. At the end of the season it will be VICE WORLD CHAMPION scoring4 victories, 7 second places and 4 third places.2012. YAMAHA officially retires itself from SBK. Marco now leads the BMW Official.Marco’s talent and his technical skill to lead the motorbike development bear fruits. At the first Phillip Island race he has already stepped on the podium The very first BMW victory arrives at Donington, thanks to Marco Victories also in Salt Lake City and in Aragon.And a double win in Brno. In the final standing of the Championship he will be 3rd.2013. At the end of 2012 BMW Germany decides to commit the race activities to BMW Italy that will also lead the technical development of the frame.The changement is not a good thing for the motorbike competitiveness. Although results are good, they cannot keep up with the expectations and Marco’s talent, that despite some injury conquers 12 podiums, scoring the 4th place in Championship.Nel 2014 is with Aprilia SBK scoring 3 Victories, five 2nd places and four 3rd places with the 4th place in the final classification.In 2015 Marco is obliged to move in MotoGp to grow the new Aprilia, but in the middle of the season, a lot of problems with bike and management interrupt the adventure. Since that time, Marco is training to be in perfect shape to be ready for a new adventure..
In 2017 after a year of stop Marco is back in Superbike World Championship riding the Ducati factory bike of the Aruba Team.