Marco Melandri has signed a new deal with the Aruba Ducati squad to remain in WorldSBK for 2018.

The Italian veteran came into the squad at the beginning of this season on a year plus option contract and it has now been announced he will stay alongside Chaz Davies.

“I’m really happy for the opportunity to prolong this professional collaboration, which represented a new beginning in my career as a rider. Together with Ducati and Aruba.it, we enjoyed some really memorable moments, while in other occasions I think my long break from racing affected our performance, so I’m sure there’s still plenty of room to improve,” said Melandri.

“To this end, continuing with the same team and the same bike represents the best possible opportunity to achieve higher goals. I’m ready to tackle a new season with more experience and confidence, and it’s a challenge that makes me incredibly happy. First of all, however, we need to finish the current championship as strongly as possible. With five rounds to go, we’ll always give our 100 percent and assess our performance in the end.”