Speaking to motogp.com, Marco Melandri said why he chose to come back to MotoGP this season with Factory Aprilia Gresini team. 32-year-old Italian, a former 250cc champion and 2011 Superbike runner up is back to GP after four seasons away, having raced for Yamaha, BMW and Aprilia in the Superbikes. And he initially was set to continue.
"My goal was to be with Aprilia in Superbikes for two years, but everything changed unexpectedly when the factory decided to focus their efforts towards the MotoGP World Championship", he said to motogp.com. "At first I was hesitant to accept the challenge as I had doubts about the competitiveness of a new bike, whereas there was the possibility of winning in Superbikes. But I was encouraged by the idea of developing a MotoGP bike with the team."
Team manager Fausto Gresini has been a key part of Melandri's descision. "I'm happy to work with Fausto, who above all is a friend. He helped me a lot during some difficult years. Aprilia brings very important experience that will mean a great collaboration. For Fausto, switching brands after so many years will also be positive."
"My goal is to improve step by step", he added. "I think we should at least wait for the test in Qatar (14th to 17th March) to know what point we are at. My personal motivation depends on the situation around me. The willpower of all the team members, if they work their hardest, that will encourage me to do my best."