| Max Biaggi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Biaggi in 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Italian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1971-06-26)26 June 1971 (age 54) Rome, Italy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | max-biaggi.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Massimiliano "Max"Biaggi (Italian pronunciation:[ˈmaksˈbjaddʒi]; born 26 June 1971)[1][2] is an Italian former professionalGrand Prix motorcycle road racer who achieved six World Championships. With four 250 cc road race titles and two inWorld Superbikes, he is one of only two riders to score championships across both disciplines.[3]
Biaggi is a brand ambassador forAprilia motorcycles.[4] Since 2019, he has owned aMoto3 racing team, based in Monaco.[5][6]
In 2020, Biaggi was named aFIM Road Racing Legend,[7] followed by inductance into theMotoGP Hall of Fame in 2022.[3]
Biaggi is a 13-timePremier Class race winner. He is a 4-time250 cc World Champion, 2-timeWorld Superbike Champion and 3-time runner-up in thePremier Class in1998,2001 and2002.
After winning 4 consecutive 250 cc titles in1994,1995,1996 and1997 Biaggi moved to the 500 cc class in1998 and immediately finished runner-up toMick Doohan with 2 victories withHonda. This earned him a move to theFactory Yamaha Team in1999. In his 4 seasons withYamaha Biaggi collected 8 victories and finished runner-up toValentino Rossi in2001 and2002. Then he moved toCamel Honda in2003. But only managed third place in the championship in2003 and2004 beaten by not onlyValentino Rossi but alsoGresini Honda riderSete Gibernau. A sole winless season followed in2005 withFactory Honda Team and Biaggi was replaced byDani Pedrosa for2006 even though he got 4 podiums and a 5th place in the championship. This proved to be Biaggi's final season in MotoGP.
In 2007, Biaggi switched to theSuperbike World Championship finishing third overall as a rookie and earned his first Superbike World Championship in2010 becoming only the second European from outside theUnited Kingdom afterRaymond Roche to do so.[8] After winning a second Superbike World Championship in2012 at the age of 41, Biaggi retired from racing. But he came back in 2015 in Malaysia as a wildcard to get a podium at the age of 44.
A consistent rider, in all of his 8 seasons with MotoGP/500 cc, Biaggi finished inside the top 5 in the championship standings and 3 times as championship runner-up in1998,2001 and2002. Winning a race for 7 consecutive seasons in the Premier Class from 1998 to 2004. Biaggi's 13 wins, 58 podiums and 23 Pole Positions in the Premier Class makes him one of the most accomplished riders to not win the MotoGP World Championship.
Biaggi was more interested infootball as a child. But in 1989, after he was given a 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.
In 1991, Biaggi finished second behind British rider Woolsey Coulter in the European 250cc championship on anAprilia RS250, and that same year he finished twenty-seventh in the Grand Prix motorcycle 250cc world championship riding for the same manufacturer. In1992, 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 inKyalami,South Africa. The following season, Biaggi joinedHonda, and finished fourth in the championship standings, including a single victory inBarcelona. In1994, he returned to Aprilia and dominated the 250cc Grand Prix class by winning three consecutiveworld championships in1994,1995 and1996. In1997, Biaggi again returned to Honda, riding forErv Kanemoto's team, and won his fourth consecutive title. Following that, he moved up to the 500cc class.
Biaggi made an impressive start in his 500cc debut, qualifying on pole, setting the fastest lap and winning his first race in the1998 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix atSuzuka, riding for the Kanemoto Honda team. He was also victorious at theCzech Republic Grand Prix, where he almost crashed when he accidentally did a 90°wheelie,[9] and finished the season in second place behindMick Doohan. Biaggi then joinedYamaha to battle against the dominant Hondas. He finished fourth in1999, third in2000, and second in2001.
In2002, Biaggi rode thefour-stroke for the first time as development on the new motorcycle remained strong throughout the season. He won inBrno, Czech Republic[10] andSepang, Malaysia[11] to clinch runner-up in the championship behind rivalValentino Rossi. In2003, Biaggi finished third in the MotoGP championship after rejoining Honda on the Camel Pramac Pons team and won races inPacific Grand Prix[12] andGreat Britain after Rossi penalised.[13] It was expected that Biaggi would be one of the main candidates for the title in 2004. He won inGermany[14] but a crash inEstoril saw his season begin to fade.[15] At the end of the2004 MotoGP season Biaggi finished the championship in third place, behindSete Gibernau and series winner, Rossi.
Biaggi started the2005 MotoGP season as an official factory Honda rider, joining American racerNicky Hayden on the Repsol Honda Team with technical directorErv 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 in only fifth place.
Biaggi lost his ride for the 2006 season, his position filled by 2005 250cc Grand Prix champion,Dani Pedrosa. He negotiated withHonda,Kawasaki, andSuzuki, however, was unable to land a contract even with the backing of major tobacco sponsor Camel who ended up signing up to be the factory Yamaha squad's title sponsor for 2006. On 10 January 2006, Biaggi posted on his website that he would not take part in the 2006 MotoGP season.
Biaggi attempted to reach an agreement to race theSuperbike World Championship for Corona AlstareSuzuki in2006, but the team could not commit to equal equipment with their existing riders,2005 championTroy Corser andYukio Kagayama. As a result, he took a sabbatical, but on 14 September 2006 Biaggi announced he had signed to replace Corser in the team for2007.
Biaggi began the season by winning the first race at theLosail International Circuit inQatar 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 atPhillip Island,Australia.
After a hard championship, Biaggi finished third, behind World ChampionJames Toseland andYamaha top riderNoriyuki Haga.
At the end of the season, Francis Batta, AlstareSuzuki 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 for2008, instead focusing on the MotoGP championship. For2008 Biaggi replaced team managerMarco Borciani as a rider at hisTeam Sterilgarda/Go Eleven, riding a satellite-worksDucati 1098RS alongsideRuben Xaus.[16] He finished seventh overall with seven podiums, three places ahead of Xaus and one ahead of factory Ducati riderMichel Fabrizio.
For 2009, Biaggi joined the returning factoryAprilia team. He took a double podium in round 2 at Qatar, and scored solid points before taking their first win since the return atBrno, after race leaders Fabrizio andBen Spies collided. He finished a close second behind Spies in race two there, and finished the season 4th overall.
Biaggi continued with Aprilia for 2010, taking a double victory at the team's home race at Monza to move up to second in the standings. Another double in the USA gave him first place in the championship, after previous leader Leon Haslam failed to finish in race 2.[17]
In August 2010, Biaggi signed a renewed, two-year contract with Aprilia to remain with the team in World Superbikes until 2012.[18]
In 2010, Biaggi became Aprilia's and Italy's first Superbike World Champion.[8]
2011 was a year of mixed results for Biaggi and Aprilia. He only managed 2 wins at Aragon, Spain and Brno, Czech Republic. Even though he was in contention for the title due to multiple second-place finishes, Biaggi fractured his left foot in Germany which caused him to miss 2 rounds: Imola and Magny Cours.[19] Biaggi ended the 2011 season in third place (303 points) and tied in points with Eugene Laverty.[20] Biaggi would go on to win the2012 title by only a half point overTom Sykes. Following the season, Biaggi retired from racing. Three years later, Biaggi would briefly return to racing as a wildcard for Aprilia.[21]
Biaggi is known as the 'Roman Emperor' and 'Mad Max' and is notorious for his difficult relationships with the press, team personnel and other riders.[22][23][24][25]
Biaggi was engaged toMiss Italia 2002 winner and TV personalityEleonora Pedron; together they have a daughter and a son.[26] They split in September 2015.[27]
All stats according to MotoGP.com[28]
| Season | Class | Motorcycle | Team | Race | Win | Podium | Pole | FLap | Pts | Plcd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 250cc | Aprilia RSV250 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 27th | |
| 1992 | 250cc | Aprilia RSV250 | Telkor Valesi Racing | 12 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 78 | 5th |
| 1993 | 250cc | Honda NSR250 | Rothmans Kanemoto | 14 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 142 | 4th |
| 1994 | 250cc | Aprilia RSV250 | Chesterfield Aprilia | 14 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 234 | 1st |
| 1995 | 250cc | Aprilia RSV250 | Chesterfield Aprilia | 13 | 8 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 283 | 1st |
| 1996 | 250cc | Aprilia RSV250 | Chesterfield Aprilia | 15 | 9 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 274 | 1st |
| 1997 | 250cc | Honda NSR250 | Marlboro Kanemoto | 15 | 5 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 250 | 1st |
| 1998 | 500cc | Honda NSR500 | Marlboro Kanemoto | 14 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 208 | 2nd |
| 1999 | 500cc | Yamaha YZR500 | Marlboro Yamaha | 16 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 194 | 4th |
| 2000 | 500cc | Yamaha YZR500 | Marlboro Yamaha | 16 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 170 | 3rd |
| 2001 | 500cc | Yamaha YZR500 | Marlboro Yamaha | 16 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 219 | 2nd |
| 2002 | MotoGP | Yamaha YZR-M1 | Marlboro Yamaha | 16 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 215 | 2nd |
| 2003 | MotoGP | Honda RC211V | Camel Pramac Pons | 16 | 2 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 228 | 3rd |
| 2004 | MotoGP | Honda RC211V | Camel Honda | 16 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 217 | 3rd |
| 2005 | MotoGP | Honda RC211V | Repsol Honda | 17 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 173 | 5th |
| Total | 214 | 42 | 111 | 56 | 42 | 2892 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position, races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Season | Class | Motorcycle | Team | Race | Win | Podium | Pole | FLap | Pts | Plcd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | SBK | Suzuki GSX-R1000 | Alstare Suzuki | 25 | 3 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 397 | 3rd |
| 2008 | SBK | Ducati 1098 RS | Sterilgarda Go Eleven | 28 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 238 | 7th |
| 2009 | SBK | Aprilia RSV4 | Aprilia Racing | 28 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 319 | 4th |
| 2010 | SBK | Aprilia RSV4 | Aprilia Alitalia Racing | 26 | 10 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 451 | 1st |
| 2011 | SBK | Aprilia RSV4 | Aprilia Alitalia Racing | 21 | 2 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 303 | 3rd |
| 2012 | SBK | Aprilia RSV4 | Aprilia Racing | 27 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 358 | 1st |
| 2015 | SBK | Aprilia RSV4 | Aprilia Racing | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 20th |
| Total | 157 | 21 | 71 | 10 | 19 | 2102 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position, races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Bike | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Pos | Pts | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | ||||
| 2007 | Suzuki | QAT 1 | QAT 2 | AUS 3 | AUS 4 | EUR 3 | EUR 2 | SPA 8 | SPA 2 | NED 6 | NED 3 | ITA 3 | ITA 5 | GBR 6 | GBR C | SMR Ret | SMR 3 | CZE 2 | CZE 1 | GBR 3 | GBR 8 | GER 2 | GER 3 | ITA 1 | ITA 2 | FRA 6 | FRA 2 | 3rd | 397 | ||
| 2008 | Ducati | QAT 2 | QAT 3 | AUS Ret | AUS Ret | SPA 16 | SPA 8 | NED 10 | NED 12 | ITA 5 | ITA Ret | USA 9 | USA 4 | GER 13 | GER 7 | SMR Ret | SMR 2 | CZE 4 | CZE 3 | GBR 3 | GBR 12 | EUR 3 | EUR 6 | ITA 2 | ITA Ret | FRA 4 | FRA 6 | POR Ret | POR 13 | 7th | 238 |
| 2009 | Aprilia | AUS 11 | AUS 15 | QAT 3 | QAT 3 | SPA 8 | SPA 8 | NED 5 | NED Ret | ITA 11 | ITA 5 | RSA 5 | RSA 5 | USA 6 | USA 4 | SMR 13 | SMR 10 | GBR 2 | GBR 21 | CZE 1 | CZE 2 | GER 5 | GER 4 | ITA 2 | ITA 4 | FRA 3 | FRA 2 | POR 3 | POR 6 | 4th | 319 |
| 2010 | Aprilia | AUS 5 | AUS 8 | POR 1 | POR 1 | SPA 2 | SPA 3 | NED 6 | NED 4 | ITA 1 | ITA 1 | RSA 4 | RSA 3 | USA 1 | USA 1 | SMR 1 | SMR 1 | CZE 2 | CZE 1 | GBR 5 | GBR 6 | GER 4 | GER 5 | ITA 11 | ITA 5 | FRA 4 | FRA 1 | 1st | 451 | ||
| 2011 | Aprilia | AUS 2 | AUS 2 | EUR 7 | EUR DSQ | NED 2 | NED 2 | ITA 2 | ITA 8 | USA Ret | USA 3 | SMR 2 | SMR 2 | SPA 2 | SPA 1 | CZE 2 | CZE 1 | GBR 11 | GBR 4 | GER DNS | GER DNS | ITA | ITA | FRA | FRA | POR 4 | POR 7 | 3rd | 303 | ||
| 2012 | Aprilia | AUS 1 | AUS 2 | ITA 4 | ITA 4 | NED 4 | NED 8 | ITA C | ITA 5 | EUR 5 | EUR 2 | USA 3 | USA 3 | SMR 1 | SMR 1 | SPA 1 | SPA 4 | CZE 6 | CZE 4 | GBR Ret | GBR 11 | RUS 3 | RUS Ret | GER 1 | GER 13 | POR 4 | POR 3 | FRA Ret | FRA 5 | 1st | 358 |
| 2015 | Aprilia | AUS | AUS | THA | THA | SPA | SPA | NED | NED | ITA | ITA | GBR | GBR | POR | POR | SMR 6 | SMR 6 | USA | USA | MAL 3 | MAL Ret | SPA | SPA | FRA | FRA | QAT | QAT | 20th | 36 | ||
| |
