Now that Max Biaggi has joined Troy Corser, Alex Barros and Ruben Xaus in this year’s WSB series (according to several reports), it is official. WSB has now become the retirement mecca for ex-MotoGP stars.
When Troy Bayliss and Colin Edwards moved up to MotoGP from WSB a few years ago, there was great speculation as to whether they could prove themselves competitive with the gods of MotoGP. They did, but neither of them ever threatened to take a championship in MotoGP.
With the flow of these talented and, other than Xaus, somewhat elderly riders from MotoGP into WSB this year, we will see another test. Can Troy Corser and his comrades in WSB hang with the MotoGP gang? If, as reported, Biaggi is on a Suzuki as a teammate of Troy Corser, we will know pretty quickly. Of course, the ex-MotoGP gang may do more than hang with the WSB regulars. They may dominate WSB this year.
Keep in mind that Biaggi and Barros are among a small handful of riders that have ever beaten Valentino Rossi on a MotoGP bike. These guys are incredibly talented, and although a bit older than most of their competitors (as is Troy Bayliss), we would expect them to be fully capable of winning races at the WSB level, and with the right machinery and team behind them threaten for the championship in 2006.
