Struggling Melandri to join Kawasaki

Ducati rider Marco Melandri will race for the Kawasaki MotoGP team next season, the Italian has said. The 26-year-old, who only joined Ducati at the start of the year, has had a poor season and is 15th in the standings following Sunday's Czech Grand...

Ducati rider Marco Melandri will race for the Kawasaki MotoGP team next season, the Italian has said.

The 26-year-old, who only joined Ducati at the start of the year, has had a poor season and is 15th in the standings following Sunday's Czech Grand Prix.

"I hope to get good results in the last six races of 2008 and after that I am moving to another team. I will ride for Kawasaki next year so it's a big change for me," he told MotoGP's official website (www.motogp.com). Melandri's agent announced last month the former 250cc world champion would be leaving Ducati.

Yamaha's Valentino Rossi, a winner of seven world titles across classes, leads the MotoGP standings by 50 points with Australian world champion Casey Stoner of Ducati second.

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