Max Biaggi’s second day of testing the Ducati MotoGP bike at Mugello came to an end prematurely when rain began to fall about 4:00 p.m. local time. Day 1 was rain shortened as well. Altogether, Biaggi had the equivalent of roughly one day of testing and 50 total laps. His best time was a 152.1, 3.9 seconds off the best time posted by any Ducati rider at the test (Andrea Dovizioso did a 148.2). Pretty impressive, in our opinion, given the fact that Biaggi took 30 laps (by his estimation) before he began to feel at all comfortable on the bike, particularly with its carbon brakes (steel rotars are used in WSB).
In an interview provided to an Italian web site after the test, Biaggi was a bit coy, but seemed to leave the door open to future involvement with Ducati MotoGP. A post on the team Pramac site also does not foreclose future involvement with Biaggi as a test rider or racer.
Without rain interrupting both days, Biaggi undoubtedly would have posted quicker times. As it stands, he can still clearly ride at a very high level. It will be interesting to see if anything further develops in this relationship with Ducati.
OK, so he’s 41. His reaction times are slowing and I am sure he knows he will not recover as fast as the younger riders out there in the event of a spill. What is Ducati thinking here? A comeback for the old dog? They are in need of youth and energy right now with the new platform. Biaggi is a development rider now, nothing more. Time to hang up the elbow pucks Max….youth wins, sadly….
He won the WSB championship a few months ago. How slow could his reactions be?
Maybe there will be a senior league where Rossi can embarrass Biaggi, again, and force him out, AGAIN 🙂
There is nothing Biaggi can show the young guns. When he was a young racer, he never fulfilled his promise, much like what is happening Pedrosa now. Lots of talent, no MotoGP championship…
Yea I always said he ran number three for a reason…. a third place rider! W/ that said, I wish I was that fast!!
First of all, he is not new to carbon brakes. He’s been on GP bikes before. He rode the 500 and the initial motogp bikes. The times he posted stinks. You may as well compare him to CRT riders.
The times he posted are irrelevant. He hadn’t been on any sort of bike in at least eight months, it rained both days, and he spent the better part of Day One simply getting acclimated to the bike and the track. No one was expecting him to produce competitive lap times. That wasn’t the purpose of the whole exercise.
And Biaggi was never the greatest at qualifying, anyway. Like Rossi (in contrast to someone like Dani Pedroza, for example), he didn’t need a pole-setting pace in practice in order to compete at the front during the race.
At 41, though, and having been out of MotoGP lo these many years? No chance. Well, not of winning races again.
Well, he did get the pole position in his first ever top class (500) GP as well as the win.
4 seconds off the best time of the day is pretty good all things considered, I would surmise that most people bemoaning the obvious talent this man continues to display are the same people who think Rossi has another title in him.
Max will always be the Roman Emperor and Rossi will (For Now) always be the G.O.A.T.
I for one would love to see them bang bars once again in the twilight of their careers. Fast racing isn’t always the best racing Moto 2 is living proof.
Cheers
This guy is 41 years old but he is tremendously talented and experienced. Furthermore, from my observations of him over the years, more than anyone I can think of, he loves racing motorcycles. It’s not just a job for him. It might be fun to have him in the mix to show the young guns a thing or two.
“more than anyone I can think of, he loves racing motorcycles”. I can’t believe you can say that with a straight face.
yeah, lotta a revisionist history goin’ on.
Maybe he’s confusing passion for love? Not always the same thing…