By the editorial staff of Corsedimoto.com
Since Portimao, the Ravenna pilot is disappointed. “I am the cheapest driver in the paddock, Davies cost nine times more than me.”
Marco Melandri waited for the official announcement to reveal details of the failed negotiations with Ducati and the Aruba team. Despite the best time on the first day of testing in Portimao (Portugal), the Italian rider who has won the most Superbike races (22 victories, 68 podiums) is furious.
“I am convinced that since June, they knew what they were going to do, that’s for sure, no one spoke to me, ever”, underlines Melandri to the Speedweek correspondent. “Do you know what the last straw is? So far, no one has told me I'm fired. I heard about it through the media, no one called me from Ducati, I didn't receive any emails”. Marco denies that the lack of re-confirmation is the result of economic evaluations. “I am the cheapest rider in the paddock, at Ducati I took 150 euros in two years, Chaz Davies earned 000 million euros, nine times more than me. Ducati didn't even ask me how much I wanted to stay. Alvaro Bautista may not have asked for less than me, there are other reasons behind this agreement”
Melandri has not digested it and begins to open her mouth. “Some people at Ducati have never been by my side. As far as value for money goes, I've been one of the best things they've done in the last couple of years. But I am no longer interested, Ducati is the past, now I am looking for a new solution.”
Marco also finds incomprehensible the position of Stefano Cecconi, general director of Aruba.it, who is not only the sponsor but also the owner of the official Superbike team. “Before the Misano race (July 8), Stefano assured me that he was the head of the team and that he would be the one to approve the choice of drivers. After Misano, he told me the same thing, and that the rumors about Bautista would only be used to negotiate commitments. We never talked about money. When I learned that Ducati had signed Bautista, I called Stefano again and he told me there was nothing he could do about it. He used to own a team and suddenly he knew nothing and couldn't do anything.”
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