THOK AND MARCO MELANDRI RACING TOGETHER FOR THE 2020 E-BIKE SEASON

At the end of 2019, motorbike champion Marco Melandri left his motorcycle helmet aside to wear the MTB one. On his THOK MIG e-MTB he will be training to face the challenges of the e-Enduro racing circuit.

Marco made his debut in the 125cc World Championship with the Benetton team, where he met and become friend with Livio Suppo – the Team Manager at the time. He is also a good friend with Stefano Migliorini – former BMX World Champion and Marco’s idol when, as a child, he practiced the same specialty. These factors as well as the technical characteristics of THOK MIG e-bikes, convinced Marco to rely on the Italian brand for his 2020 e-challenge.

Melandri recently moved to Trentino where he had the chance to try an e-bike, riding on the fascinating tracks of the Dolomites. From a simple pastime, the transition to competitions was quick and inevitable: the race is part of Marco’s DNA! After taking part in some E-bike races in 2019, Marco has decided, for 2020, to take part in the E-Enduro circuit and in the main international events of the E-Enduro season.

He will be competing on a THOK MIG, with a special set-up by THOK’s engineers.

The THOK MIG, specially prepared by the THOK technicians, will accompany Marco Melandri on his road to e-performance, towards the 2020 E-Enduro championships. THOK’S claim “Performance First” has always been the leitmotiv of the Ravenna World Champion: the geometry of the MIG frame, the stability given by the lower center of gravity and the reactivity obtained by the shorter rear stays, were decisive peculiarities in the choice of the e-bike to be used for his E-Enduro season. A challenge that Marco is ready to take with the right motivation without forgetting the “fun” side of this sport.

Marco Melandri needs no introduction: he made his debut in the 125cc World Championship as a wild card in Brno in 1997 and competed in his first full world championship in 1998 with a Honda bike with Benetton livery.
In Assen, at just 15 years, the first victory: Marco was the youngest winner of a World Championship race. He came close to the 125 title in 1999 and in 2000 he became Factory Aprilia rider in the 250cc class where he won the World Title in 2002.

He moved to MotoGP with Yamaha and after two seasons with the Iwata Company, he moved on to the Gresini team’s Honda, with which he conquered his best placement in the Top Class (2005), ending second behind Valentino Rossi. His career in MotoGP continued until 2010, in Ducati and Kawasaki.

Moving to the Superbike World Championship, Marco immediately became one of the star of the grid, with the second final place on the Factory Yamaha in 2011. In the championship of the production derived motorcycles he also rode for the Factory teams of BMW, Ducati and Aprilia, collecting something like 22 victories and 75 podiums. At the end of the 2019 season he announced his retirement from motorcycle racing.

THOK E-Bikes is pleased to assist this great champion in his road to e-performance!