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Max Biaggi - In profile Jan 10th, 2002 |
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Max Biaggi - In profile Jan 10th, 2002 |
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Max Biaggi enters Grand
Prix racing's new four-stroke era with a reputation for making history.
During his years of racing two-stroke GP bikes the remarkable Italian
became the first man to wear four consecutive 250 world championship
crowns and in 1998 he became the first rider in a quarter of a century to
win first time out on a 500. One of racing's all-time greats, with almost 40 GP wins and 50 pole positions behind him, his status on the track is beyond doubt, and his off-track persona ensures he's a regular in celebrity magazines and gossip columns around the globe. A proud Roman who now lives in Monaco, Biaggi is contesting his fourth season with the Marlboro Yamaha Team alongside team-mate Carlos Checa. Over the past three years he won six GPs on a Yamaha YZR500 and challenged for last year's final 500 crown, eventually taking second overall. Biaggi is arguably the smoothest and neatest rider of all. He eschews the sideways antics employed by many of his rivals, preferring a rapier-sharp style that keeps both wheels in line, a legacy of his 250 days. Biaggi made his name on 250s and his record in quarter-litre racing is unmatched. During six seasons he scored 29 GP wins and 33 pole positions to make him the second most successful 250 rider in history. He won his first three titles in '94, '95 and '96 with Chesterfield Aprilia, then underlined his talent by switching marques to retain the crown with Marlboro Team Kanemoto Honda. Considering the success he has enjoyed, it is perhaps surprising that Biaggi was no boy racer. As a child he was football crazy and dreamed of playing for AC Roma. Indeed he's still a regular player, taking part in numerous charity matches with fellow celebrities. Biaggi got into racing purely by chance, when a friend invited him to ride the Vallelunga circuit in 1988. He was immediately hooked and made his race debut the following year with his father helping out as mechanic. The next season a professional mechanic volunteered his services for Biaggi's attack on the Italian Sport Production series. This expertise made all the difference and Biaggi won the title with six wins from seven races. That success got him his big break: a ride on a 125 GP bike in an Italian Championship race. Biaggi didn't waste his chance and finished third, ahead of new World Champion Loris Capirossi.
It was a crucial
performance, for Biaggi had shone in front of Italy's top race bosses and
was signed by Aprilia to contest the '91 250 European Championship. It was
the Italian's first season on a race bike and yet he won the title and
scored points in his World Championship debut. He was promoted to
full-time GP duties the following year, justifying Aprilia's faith by
taking fifth overall and scoring his first GP win at the season-ending
South African GP. The following season Biaggi rejoined Aprilia, and with two full world campaigns behind him showed real speed and confidence. He won the first two races to establish an early points advantage, only to lose it after a fall. He regained the lead with victory at Assen, then fell at two of the next three races to lose the advantage once more. A great ride to victory at Brno put him back on top and he secured the title with a runaway win at the Catalunya finale. That first world title was the perfect reward for Biaggi's talent and dedication but his second championship success was even more impressive. Psychologically stronger, he towered over the '95 250 season, he won eight GPs, stood on the podium 12 times and was the only rider to score points at all 13 rounds. In '96 he took even more victories - nine from 15 rides - but only just beat rival Ralf Waldmann to the title. He won five of the first six GPs to establish an apparently unassailable lead but then fell heavily during Dutch GP practice and struggled at the next two races. All seemed back to normal when he scored another dominant win at the British GP. With a 53 point cushion over Waldmann, Biaggi's results then took a bizarre turn. He fell in Austria, won at Brno, fell at Imola and won at Catalunya. Then he crashed out of the penultimate Rio GP, leaving him just one point ahead with one race to go. In Australia he bounced back to defeat Waldmann and take his third title. In 1997 Biaggi won five GPs to secure his most impressive title. A return to Kanemoto Honda and a late start to pre-season testing left him at a disadvantage and he battled chassis problems throughout. Yet he immediately proved he could win without the Aprilia's speed, dominating the opening Malaysian GP. The next few events were tougher but another fairytale win in front of his home crowd at Mugello put him back ahead. Then disaster struck at Assen where he was disqualified for ignoring a stop-go penalty. That cost him the series lead but he retook the advantage with a masterful win at Imola. Handling problems at the next few races dropped him to third overall but once again he staged a remarkable comeback, winning two more races to clinch the title at the Australian finale. Biaggi stayed with Marlboro Team Kanemoto for his move to 500s in 1998. He made an instant impact, taking a runaway win at the season-opening Japanese GP, the first man to win first time out on a 500 since the late Jarno Saarinen in 1973. He discovered the harsher realities of 500 racing at the next two GPs, where he lost the series lead but a win at Brno put him back on top of the world. Biaggi may even have won the title if he hadn't been disqualified at Catalunya for ignoring a stop-go penalty. He nevertheless finished the year second overall. In 1999 he made a successful job of switching machinery, working hard with his Marlboro Yamaha Team crew to develop Yamaha's YZR500 into a winner. But he had more than his fair share of bad luck. A hand injury - sustained when he crashed out of the lead in France - was a handicap and a couple of other falls dented his confidence. But his dedication won out and he was the most successful rider of the season's closing stages, taking a win in South Africa and second-place finishes in the Australian, Rio and Argentine GPs. During those four races he scored almost twice as many points as any of his rivals. A tireless worker when it comes to testing and development, Biaggi helped Yamaha build a further improved YZR for 2000. Unfortunately another injury-hit start put him out of the title hunt, even though the bike was good enough to win the Manufacturers' World Championship. Way down on points after unlucky tumbles at three consecutive races, Biaggi's dogged determination shone through and he got stronger as the year progressed. He stood on the podium for the first time when he scored a majestic win at Brno and followed that with hard-fought thirds at Valencia and Motegi. The Roman crowned his season with a great win at the Australian finale, moving himself to third overall. Biaggi started 2001 with a run of up-and-down results but a change to the set-up of his YZR500s put him right on the pace from round four. By the mid-season break he was the fastest-scoring riding, taking wins at the French, Dutch and German GPs to close to within ten points of arch-rival Valentino Rossi (Honda). The second half of the year turned out to be altogether tougher and three tumbles dented his title challenge. Nevertheless, Biaggi ended the year a strong second overall, having scored nine podium finishes and no less than seven poles. Away from the GPs he took time out to aid development of Yamaha's YZR-M1 four-stroke GP bike, the all-new 200 horsepower machine with which he goes for the first-ever MotoGP World Championship. When he's not racing Biaggi is a big football fan, a great car enthusiast and a huge enthusiast of US Supercross. FAST FACTS
RACE CAREER - As of January 2002
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January 2002 Questions & Answer session with Max - Yamaha's YZR-M1
FREE classifieds - Late Braking News - 2002 New Bike Catalogue
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