The San Carlo Honda Gresini Team’s official presentation took place yesterday at the Telenova studios in Milan, hosted by presenter Franco Bobbiese, during his show Griglia di Partenza ( our readers already know about this show) where Team Manager Fausto Gresini alongside the President of San Carlo introduced his all-Italian ‘dream team’ Marco Melandri and Marco Simoncelli to the world press (and Italian TV viewers last night).

Here’s what everyone said in the usual official press release, but the show was much more interesting with some clowining around and some cute anecdotes by short Marco and tall Marco, including the legendary Giacomo Agostini (via video) advising Simoncelli to take one step at a time after his big highside during the Sepang 2 tests.

Fausto Gresini : “Today was a really special day because a personal dream of mine has been fulfilled - having two top riders contest the MotoGP World Championship with my team and an Italian sponsor like San Carlo. I am proud to represent Italy around the world and I am looking forward to going racing this year - hopefully we can ensure that our flag flies high at circuits all over the world.”

Continue reading: San Carlo Honda Gresini presents his 'almost' All-Italian Team

When the FIM released the provisional MotoGP entry list today, we were surprised to see that Marco Melandri would be racing with Toni Elias’ #24 and not his usual #33.

According to several websites who contacted Team Gresini’s press office to find out why Melandri changed his number were told that who made up the entry list simply forgot to remove the number #24 and that Marco will be using his usual number.

Team Gresini has already contacted the FIM to have the number rectified, but at the moment both the MotoGP and FIM official websites have yet to correct the error.

Source | duegommeslick

Continue reading: MotoGP: Typo Error, Marco Melandri to race with #33

This story dates back to 2007 when Fabrizio Corona who runs photo agency Coronàs, with dozens of paparazzi under his wing, tried to extort € 10,000 from MotoGP rider Marco Melandri.

Corona telephoned Melandri’s manager Alberto Vergani, who also the president of Nolan Helmets, asking him € 10,000 in order not to publish photos and videos of Melandri together with porno star Brigitta Bulgari during a private party in a discoteque on the eve of the Mugello GP.

Vergani refused to pay up and taped the conversation and when the scandal broke, because the same Corona extorted and attempted to blackmail several big named soccer players and Fiat’s Lapo Elkan with compromising photos, the enitre story came out in all it’s sordidness.

Corona was sentenced to three years and eight months of prison.

Continue reading: Marco Melandri's extorsionist sentenced to jail

Casey Stoner’s sliding at Phillip Island GP just blew everyone over and brought back some exciting and fond memories and we’ve decided to list our top ten slides with the relative videos. We hope that you’ll enjoy watching them again, just like we did.

1. Garry McCoy and his smokin’ tires earned him the title of the King of Slide, because he likes racing sideways.
2. Marco ‘Macio’ Melandri almost quit racing after the 2008 season in Ducati, but he just had to look at his one handed slide to be reminded just how good he is.
3. Chris Vermeulen, because we still in the hell don’t know how he did that one.
4. Casey Stoner, at this year’s Australian GP, where we almost forget that he was riding a 800cc bike.
5. Ryuichi Kiyonari, awed English fans during a very wet Superpole at Donington Park.
6. Ben Spies, was doing it in the States before he became an international racing star.
7. Valentino Rossi, the MotoGP czar used to do power slides just to thrill his numerous fans.
8. Nicky Hayden, the Kentucky Kid put his Honda through the move at the Brickyard.
9. Sete Gibernau, was another of those 1000cc riders that liked to slide.
10. Noriyuki Haga, isn’t known as the Samurai of Slide for nothing.

Continue reading: Ten Best MotoGP and Superbike Slides

This Sunday saw another fund raising motocross event called Una Gara x Luca (a race for Luca) organized by MotoGP rider Marco Melandri and Scot Racing’s Sporting Director Alberto Martinelli, who got together to help injured Luca Pellegrini, by raising funds to pay for his rehabilitation.

Last August, Pellegrini lost control of his bike after a technical failure, crashed and sustained serious spinal injuries and after an operation was completely paralyzed, but after being transferred to the Montecatone Clinic in Imola, the seventeen year old has now gained some use of his arms and wrists, but still faces long and expensive treatment.

12,000 fans including Luca, showed up for this memorable event at Autodromo Bonara di Castrezzato track and weren’t disappointed because they saw race track riders and motocross riders face off in an exciting two heat race.

Continue reading: Melandri and Cairoli Win Una Gara x Luca Fund Raising Event

German company Hoely has created this tuning of the ZX10R, calling it the Kawasaki ZX10R Hayate Replica. The bike was presented to Marco Melandri during a delivery of a mini-moto which was also a Hayate replica.

This ZX10R replica is made for road use, and we expect Melandri is happy with the result… this is one very mean looking machine!

Source | Motoblog

Continue reading: Kawasaki ZX10R Hayate replica

This incredible pics show Marco Melandri’s flying crash at Indianapolis. With a frame-by-frame look at the crash, it will never cease to amaze me how these guys can just sit up and then walk away. The pics come from our friends over on Motoblog.it.

Send your funny, bizarre or surprising pics to us and we’ll post them, with your name. We’d love to share what you guys find in the world of motorcycling! Send to: pics@twowheelsblog.com.

Continue reading: Marco Melandri Indianapolis crash pics

From yesterday’s MotoGP race at Brno, Mika Kallio who is substituting for Casey Stoner on the factory Ducati took out Marco Melandri on the penultimate lap. Livio Suppo called it a normal racing incident, but the Finn exaggerated his reaction with a couple of pushes and shoves and a verbal exchange with the Italian.

Kallio would later say: “Then came the crash with Melandri, who tried to pass me where it was impossible to, so that finally our lines crossed! I didn’t see him coming at all.”

Melandri saw the incident differently and said: “I was passed him and then suddenly I got hit from behind. I’m not sure how he can blame me when I was in front of him. Maybe when he watches the video he will change his mind.”

Does Kallio suffer of some sort of peripheral vision problem or was he just not looking?

Continue reading: Mika Kallio Takes out Marco Melandri

The Brno MotoGP round is not known only for its racing, but for most team managers and sponsors its also time to settle talks with riders and their managers and confirm or deny contracts for the following season.

Friday saw the new HRC boss Tetsuo Suzuki confirm that both Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso would be racing for Repsol Honda in 2010 and 2011, only to have Pedrosa’s manager Alberto Puig, a few hours later, deny that the Spaniard had officially signed and that they are still working out minor details.

We also have Italian TV reporting that Andrea Dovizioso has been offered a one year contract with an option for the second and he too has not officially signed.

The other interesting thing that Suzuki said that they did have talks with Jorge Lorenzo but were unable to reach a tangible agreement and that they would not field a third full factory bike, thus leaving Lorenzo with little choice than accept Yamaha’s initial € 3.500.000 offer.

Livio Suppo may have announced that Casey Stoner will be out for the next three races, but apparently Ducati’s title sponsor Malboro is looking into an eventual plan B, because it’s being reported by the same Italian TV that Malboro honchos have been seen talking to Lorenzo’s management team, which was confirmed by Jorge Lorenzo who also stated that he has had contacts with Suzuki.

One satellite team is already settled for 2010 and that is Team Gresini. Having already signed first draft rookie Marco Simoncelli, this morning Fausto Gresini announced that he has signed Marco Melandri for a year and an option fo the second and gossip has it that he has signed for € 250.000.

Continue reading: Silly Season becomes Serious Season

Marco Melandri turned 27 on August 7th, but since MotoGP was on hold for the brief summer break, the Hayate team decided to celebrate his birthday today with a very special cake. We don’t know what is was supposed to represent or if it’s some inside joke, but it looks like an Egyptian mummy with cantaloupe tits.

Since Hayate Racing Team will be pulling out at the end of the season, Melandri was seen at Brno wearing a black cap with “For Free” written on it. A not very subliminal message to any team manager who could get Melandri, who desperately wants to remain in MotoGP, at a very cheap price.

And for you guys that didn’t see Melandri or the cake in the pic, the young lady is Melandri’s girlfriend Manuela Raffaetà, lingerie model/wannabe starlet. The lady has her own website with hot photos and videos that you can find here.

Source | gpone

Continue reading: Hayate celebrates Marco Melandri's Birthday

The Hayate Racing Team was born on the ashes of the late Kawasaki team who officially pulled out of the MotoGP championship last January, now according to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Kawasaki has decided also to pull the plug on the Hayate team and will not take part in the 2010 season.

The team has already starting selling trucks and the hospitality, spare parts and the rest of the equipment will be sold off at the end of the championship.

Kawasaki’s contract with Dorna and MSMA was till 2011 and the Spanish manager was willing to take the Japanese manufacturer to court for breach of contract, but before the season opener in Qatar they brainstormed the birth of the Hayate, with Dorna doing almost all of the funding and Marco Melandri as the sole rider.

During the Motegi race several Kawasaki top honchos showed up in mufti and there was talk that Kawasaki was reconsidering its position and thinking of backing the team with full factory support especially after Melandri took second place at Le Mans, but apparently Melandri’s current 8th place in the standings is not enough against the hard hitting economic crisis.

With no team and a one year contract, Marco Melandri is on the market again, and gossip has it that he’s going to pair up with Marco Simoncelli in team Gresini.

Continue reading: Good-Bye Hayate

In these two videos we can see Marco Melandri in his motocross training regime, and indulging in an added passion of go-karting with his friends. While Noriyuki Haga prefers to work out in the bedroom, Melandri has a more conventional fitness routine. The go-karting video is after the jump, with the advice before they guys set off of “don’t brake”.

Continue reading: Marco Melandri: motocross and go-karting