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Max Biaggi
Max Biaggi
Nationality		Italian
Current team		Aprilia
Bike number		3
Website		Max-Biaggi.com
Career Statistics

Max Biaggi
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
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

Massimiliano "Max" Biaggi born June 26, 1971 (1971-06-26) (age 38) 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 motorcycle 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 rode a privateer Ducati 1098RS for the Sterilgarda/GoEleven team^{[1 ]}, teamed with Ruben Xaus. He finished seventh overall with seven podiums, three places ahead of Xaus and one ahead of factory Ducati rider Michel Fabrizio.

For 2009 he joined the returning factory Aprilia team. He took a double podium in round 2 at Qatar, and scored solid points before taking their first win since the return at Brno, after race leaders Fabrizio and Ben Spies collided. He finished a close second behind Spies in race two there.

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. In 2006 he tested for the Midland F1 team at the Silverstone circuit for which he was touted he might land a race seat, but this never happened.

Grand Prix career statistics

All stats according to MotoGP.com^[2]

Races by year

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

References

External links

• Max-Biaggi.com - Official site