The MotoGP “silly season” has drawn to a close, and all the key players for 2006 are in place, save one. For weeks MotoGP enthusiasts have been left wondering “what about Biaggi?”.
After leaving the Repsol Honda squad, 13-time 500GP/MotoGP race winner Max Biaggi found that Honda had ordered that none of its satellite teams were permitted to hire him. After the rumors said that Yamaha had also rebuffed feelers from Biaggi’s management, fans began to wonder if the former front runner would be able to secure a ride for 2006 at all.
European press sources are now reporting that Biaggi had nearly completed a deal with Harold Eckl’s factory Kawasaki squad, only to find that Bridgestone was not interested in supplying tires for an additional rider next season. If the deal had gone through, Biaggi would have been teamed with current Kawasaki racers Shinya Nakano and Randy du Puniet.
Apparently the deal with Kawasaki was very close to completion, and Biaggi had planned to announce his 2006 ride to the Italian press at the Bologna Motor Show, which opens December 8th. Both Biaggi and Kawasaki were reportedly very surprised when the verdict came down from Bridgestone – no one had expected tires to make or break the proposed deal.
If Bridgestone has refused to support another rider for Kawasaki, it is likely that it would do the same for Suzuki – nixing any possibility of Biaggi picking up a ride there. That leaves only the small non-factory efforts – D’Antin Ducati, Team Roberts, and WCM – as possibilities for “The Roman Emperor”.
To the fans, Biaggi is a “love him or hate him” kind of personality. Still, it seems surprising that a man with a record of 13 wins, 58 podium finishes, 23 pole positions, and 14 fastest race laps should have such difficulty finding a ride in MotoGP.
