Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Get to know the grid: WSBK- Max Biaggi #3

Max Biaggi

Personal opinion: If his trophy case was as big as his ego- he would have been the world champion long ago, but all things aside, he has a chance to be in the top 5, but I doubt he will win the championship.
He seams to enjoy dirt riding, maybe he should think about moving to it? Maybe there he will have more successes?











Nationality Italian
Date of birth June 26, 1971 (age 37)
Place of birth Rome, Italy
Website Max-Biaggi.com
SBK Record
Current team Aprilia
Bike number 3
World Championships 0
Race starts 31
Race Wins 3
Podium finishes 19
Pole positions 0
Fastest laps 6

2008 Championship position
7th (44pts)

Max Biaggi on the Repsol Honda RC211V
Nationality Italian


Grand Prix motorcycle racing career
Active years 1991 - 2005
Teams Aprilia, Honda, Yamaha

Grands Prix 214 Races
Championships 250cc- 1994,1995,1996,1997

Wins 42
Podium finishes 111
Career points 2892
Pole positions 56
Fastest laps 42
First Grand Prix 1991 250cc European Grand Prix

First win 1992 250cc South African Grand Prix

Last win 2004 MotoGP German Grand Prix

Last Grand Prix 2005 MotoGP Valencian Community Grand Prix

Personal information
Massimiliano "Max" Biaggi born June 26, 1971 (age 37) in Rome, Italy is a motorcycle racer who currently resides in Monaco and in the United States. He has won the 250cc World Championship four times, and finished as runner-up in both the 500cc and MotoGP championships. In 2007 he switched to the World Superbike Championship, finishing third overall as a rookie.

Career
125cc
Biaggi was more interested in soccer as a child. But in 1989, after he was given an Aprilia RS125 for his seventeenth birthday, he began his racing career in the 125cc class at age eighteen. In 1990 he won the Italian Sport Production Championship. Following his success in 125cc, Biaggi moved up to the 250cc class.
250cc
In 1991, Biaggi became the European champion on an Aprilia RS250, and that same year he finished twenty-seventh in the Grand Prix motorcycle 250cc world championship riding for the same manufacturer. In 1992, Biaggi completed his first entire season in 250cc Grand Prix for Aprilia, and finished the season fifth overall. In that same season he took his first victory in Kyalami, South Africa. The following season, Biaggi joined Honda, and finished fourth in the championship standings, including a single victory in Barcelona. In 1994 he returned to Aprilia and dominated the 250cc Grand Prix championship by winning three consecutive titles in 1994, 1995 and 1996. In 1997, Biaggi again returned to Honda, riding for Erv Kanemoto's team, and won his fourth consecutive title. Following that, he moved up to the 500cc class.
500cc
Biaggi made an impressive start in his 500cc debut, qualifying on pole, setting the fastest lap and winning his first race in the 1998 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, riding for the Kanemoto Honda team. He was also victorious at the Czech Republic Grand Prix and finished the season in second place behind the legendary Mick Doohan. Biaggi then joined Yamaha to battle against the dominant Hondas. He finished fourth in 1999, third in 2000, and second in 2001.
MotoGP
In 2002, Biaggi rode the four-stroke for the first time as development on the new motorcycle remained strong throughout the season. He won in Brno, Czech Republic and Sepang, Malaysia to clinch runner-up in the championship behind rival Valentino Rossi. In 2003, Biaggi finished third in the MotoGP championship after rejoining Honda on the Camel Pramac Pons team. It was expected that Biaggi would be one of the main candidates for the title in 2004, but a crash in Estoril saw his season begin to fade. At the end of the 2004 MotoGP season Biaggi finished the championship in third place, behind Sete Gibernau and series winner, Rossi.
Biaggi started the 2005 MotoGP season as an official factory Honda rider, joining American racer Nicky Hayden on the Repsol Honda Team with technical director Erv Kanemoto. It was hoped that continued cooperation with Kanemoto and the full factory support from Honda would make Biaggi one of the main title contenders in 2005. However, Biaggi finished the season fifth in the championship with only 173 points (series winner Rossi finished with 367).
Biaggi lost his ride for the 2006 season, his position filled by 2005 250cc Grand Prix champion, Dani Pedrosa. He negotiated with Honda, Kawasaki, and Suzuki, however, was unable to land a contract even with the backing of major tobacco sponsor Camel. On January 10, 2006, Biaggi posted on his website that he would not take part in the 2006 MotoGP season.
Superbike World Championship


Max Biaggi at WK SBK Assen 2007
Biaggi attempted to reach an agreement to race the Superbike World Championship for Corona Alstare Suzuki in 2006, but the team could not commit to equal equipment with their existing riders, 2005 champion Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama. As a result, he took a sabbatical, but on September 14, 2006, Biaggi announced he had signed to replace Corser in the team for 2007.
Biaggi began the season by winning the first race at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar and finishing second in race two. In doing so Max Biaggi became one of only five men to win their first Superbike World Championship race, and the only rider ever to win his first Superbike race and his first race in 500cc Grand Prix. He then finished 3rd and 4th at Phillip Island, Australia.
After a hard championship Max Biaggi finished third, behind World Champion James Toseland and Yamaha top rider Noriyuki Haga.
At the end of the season, Francis Batta, Alstare Suzuki Racing Team director, was forced to release Biaggi, due to the loss of the main sponsor Corona Extra, as they could not reach financial agreement. Furthermore, Suzuki decided to stop official Superbike development for 2008, instead focusing on the MotoGP championship. For 2008 Biaggi rides a Ducati 1098RS for the Sterilgarda/GoEleven team[1], teamed with Ruben Xaus. With one meeting to go he is sixth in the championship, with seven podiums but no wins. For 2009 he joins the new factory Aprilia team.

Personal life
Biaggi is also known as the Roman Emperor and Mad Max and is notorious for his difficult relationship with the press, team personnel and other riders.
Throughout his career, Biaggi is best known for his heated rivalry with compatriot Valentino Rossi and other riders. The rivalry was featured in the 2003 documentary film about motorcycle racing, Faster, in which both Biaggi and Rossi appear. In 1997, he was rumored to be dating supermodel, Naomi Campbell as they were seen boarding the same aircraft separately. This led to insults by Rossi while during some after race celebrations he rode with a blonde blow up doll that was dressed in a football jersey with the name Claudia Schiffer on the back to poke fun at the relationship. At the 2001 Spanish GP, the two riders came to blows following the race. There was an attempt to cover up the fight from the press but it was soon revealed.

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