Melandri clinches ride with Honda
 |  Melandri will replace Colin Edwards at Honda next season |
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ROME, Italy -- Marco Melandri will ride for the Honda MotoGP team next season after parting company with Yamaha, the Italian has confirmed.
The 22-year-old former 250cc world champion replaces Colin Edwards and will ride alongside Sete Gibernau under the Telefonica-MovieStar garage.
"I'm excited to become part of this team, which is more than a team for me - it is a family," Melandri said.
"We have worked hard to reach this agreement and now that we made it I'm happy. I'm motivated and ready for this new challenge; I look forward to it and would like to start as soon as possible."
Team chief Fausto Gresini was delighted to secure Melandri's signature.
"I'm sure that we can offer Marco the right atmosphere to work in and that he will give us much satisfaction," he said.
Melandri has ridden for Yamaha in the last two MotoGP seasons after winning the 250cc title for Aprilia.
He was also runner-up in the 125cc category for Honda in 1999 after starting his grand prix career with the Japanese manufacturer in 1998.
Gibernau was MotoGP runner-up to Italian Valentino Rossi this year while Melandri finished 12th.
Melandri and Honda chief mechanic Fabrizio Cecchini have already had discussions about their new bike.
He will ride the RCV211 for the first time at the team's three-day testing session at Jerez starting on November 24.
