World Superbike: Marco Melandri Adds His Name To Off-Season Injury List

And another one bites the dust. A little more than a week after the announcement of Nicky Hayden’s knee injury in a training accident, another has added his name to this list: Aruba.it Racing Ducati’s Marco Melandri. The Italian, who is set to make his return to the series in 2017, injured his knee in a charity football game last Sunday in Cattolica, Italy. Melandri underwent surgery today to repair his right meniscus, without any complications.

Although it’s always disappointing to face the setback of an injury, especially in advance of Melandri’s return to action in World Superbike after sitting on the sidelines, the former World Champion looked at the timing as a silver lining.

“Looking on the bright side, perhaps I was lucky to encounter this issue at this time of the year, when both the championship and tests are over,” Melandri said. “It’s better to pay my dues with bad luck now, when we have all the time to recover. I was simply walking on the field when I felt a crack, so it’s safe to say it would have only been a matter of time before this injury happened. I will start rehabilitation right away, and in 8-10 days I shall be able to walk without crutches already. I can’t wait to be back on my Panigale R.”

As Melandri said, he will waste no time to start rehabilitation and is expected to be back on track for the first tests of the new year in Jerez, Spain, scheduled for January 24-25.