Max Biaggi

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Max Biaggi
Max Biaggi
Nationality	Italian
Date of birth	June 26, 1971 (1971-06-26) (age 36)
Place of birth	Rome, Italy
Website	Max-Biaggi.com
SBK Record
Current team	Sterilgarda Go Eleven
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
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 36) in Rome, Italy is a motorcycle racer who currently resides in Monaco and in the United States. 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.

Contents 1 Career 1.1 125cc 1.2 250cc 1.3 500cc 1.4 MotoGP 1.5 Superbike World Championship 2 Personal life 3 Grand Prix career statistics [2] 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Career

[edit] 125cc

Biaggi was more interested in soccer as a child. But in 1989, after he was given an Aprilia RS125 for his seventeeth 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Superbike World Championship

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, with few aggressive races and some significant errors, Max Biaggi was not able to win the Superbike World Championship and 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 will be riding a Ducati 1098RS for the Sterilgarda/GoEleven team^[1]. His team mate will be Ruben Xaus.

[edit] Personal life

Throughout his career, Biaggi is best known for his heated rivalry with compatriot Valentino Rossi and other riders. 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.

[edit] Grand Prix career statistics ^[2]

Season	Class	Motorcycle	Race	Win	Podium	Pole	FLap	Pts	Plcd
1991	250cc	Aprilia RS250	4	0	0	0	0	7	27th
1992	250cc	Aprilia RS250	12	1	5	4	1	78	5th
1993	250cc	Honda NSR250	14	1	5	2	1	142	4th
1994	250cc	Aprilia RS250	14	5	10	7	8	234	1st
1995	250cc	Aprilia RS250	13	8	12	9	7	283	1st
1996	250cc	Aprilia RS250	15	9	11	8	9	274	1st
1997	250cc	Honda NSR250	15	5	10	3	2	250	1st
1998	500cc	Honda NSR500	14	2	8	2	2	208	2nd
1999	500cc	Yamaha YZR500	16	1	7	1	1	194	4th
2000	500cc	Yamaha YZR500	16	2	4	5	3	170	3rd
2001	500cc	Yamaha YZR500	16	3	9	7	2	219	2nd
2002	MotoGP	Yamaha YZR-M1	16	2	8	4	1	215	2nd
2003	MotoGP	Honda RC211V	16	2	9	3	1	228	3rd
2004	MotoGP	Honda RC211V	16	1	9	1	3	217	3rd
2005	MotoGP	Honda RC211V	17	0	4	0	1	173	5th
Total			214	42	111	56	42	2892

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Max-Biaggi.com - Official site

Preceded by Tetsuya Harada

250cc Motorcycle World Champion 1994-1997

Succeeded by Loris Capirossi

v • d • e 250 cc Motorcycle World Champions     1949 - B. Ruffo 1950 - D. Ambrosini 1951 - B. Ruffo 1952 - E. Lorenzetti 1953 - W. Haas 1954 - W. Haas 1955 - H. Müller 1956 - C. Ubbiali 1957 - C. Sandford 1958 - T. Provini 1959 - C. Ubbiali 1960 - C. Ubbiali 1961 - M. Hailwood 1962 - J. Redman 1963 - J. Redman 1964 - P. Read 1965 - P. Read 1966 - M. Hailwood 1967 - M. Hailwood 1968 - P. Read 1969 - K. Carruthers 1970 - R. Gould 1971 - P. Read 1972 - J. Saarinen 1973 - D. Braun 1974 - W. Villa 1975 - W. Villa 1976 - W. Villa 1977 - M. Lega 1978 - K. Ballington 1979 - K. Ballington 1980 - A. Mang 1981 - A. Mang 1982 - J. Tournadre 1983 - C. Lavado 1984 - C. Sarron 1985 - F. Spencer 1986 - C. Lavado 1987 - A. Mang 1988 - S. Pons 1989 - S. Pons 1990 - J. Kocinski 1991 - L. Cadalora 1992 - L. Cadalora 1993 - T. Harada 1994 - M. Biaggi 1995 - M. Biaggi 1996 - M. Biaggi 1997 - M. Biaggi 1998 - L. Capirossi 1999 - V. Rossi 2000 - O. Jacque 2001 - D. Kato 2002 - M. Melandri 2003 - M. Poggiali 2004 - D. Pedrosa 2005 - D. Pedrosa 2006 - J. Lorenzo 2007 - J. Lorenzo

Persondata
NAME	Biaggi, Max
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Motorcycle racer
DATE OF BIRTH	1971-06-26
PLACE OF BIRTH	Rome
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH