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Max Biaggi stormed to two stunning victories at a packed Monza circuit in Italy. Biaggi was helped to victory by his fast Aprilia RSV4 which hit 205mph along the start-finish straight without a tow, making him virtually unstoppable around the fastest track on the WSB calendar. Biaggi’s double victory, his second of 2010, means that he has now closed to within 3 points of championship leader Leon Haslam with 5 rounds complete.
Biaggi was full to praise for his team and went on to savor every minute of the podium celebrations and adulation from the partisan crowd.
He said: “This is a dream come true for me. As an Italian to win both races, in Italy on an Italian bike with an Italian sponsor is something very special. Our bike worked very well here and it is clearly very satisfying for me to be at the front and ahead of the other guys.”
Biaggi’s first double on home turf was also witnessed by his wife and daughter who so far had not been to a race up until today. It would have been a special day for him and his family.
Haslam had a solid weekend, though with Biaggi winning both races the Brit’s championship lead has shrunk to 3 points. (Bottom) Toseland battled for the win in Race 1 but fell on the opening lap in Race 2.
The only man capable of actually passing Biaggi in both races was rival and championship leader Leon Haslam. Despite his Alstare Suzuki not having the same top speed of Biaggi, Haslam was a class act and made a number of telling passes by simply being better and later on the brakes. But it didn’t matter what he did because Biaggi was able to drive back past him on the straight with or without a slipstream.
“I felt confident I could run the pace. If I got a perfect slipstream off the Yamaha I could hold it down the straight, but the Aprilia was faster,” Haslam remarked. “The handling of my Suzuki was good, and I’m happy with it. There was some areas where I could real them in, but in others I lost out with a bit of grip on the right side. The bike was solid all race, we just need a little bit more top speed compared to the Yamaha and Aprilia. They could easily pass me on the straight where as I could only pass them when they made a mistake.”
Apart from Haslam, Yamaha men Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland were the only riders able to take the fight to Biaggi. In the opening race the teammates fought hard with Toseland eventually winning out. In Race 2 they were confident of another strong race but Toseland crashed on the way into Turn 1 on the first lap, collecting Jonathan Rea and Ruben Xaus with him. Toseland was mid pack when he went down and was hit heavily by his own bike on the back of the neck and was immediately taken to hospital. The former double world champion underwent x-rays and a CT scan and returned to the track later with a neck brace having been given the all-clear.
“It is a shame about Race 2 though because if I’d have got another podium in Race 2 I could have got up to third in the championship, and been a lot closer to the front, but all in all I’m happy to come out of here without a serious injury,” Toseland said.
“I knew that a podium was possible after Assen. The bike has been working better for me recently and I expected a podium here or at the next round. For me, race two today was one of my best ever rides.” – Corser
After being run wide in the crash, Crutchlow fought his way back up to second and looked set to make a play for the win, but on lap 11 he suffered a holed oil cooler after it was hit by a stone kicked up from the back wheel of Biaggi’s Aprilia. This led to oil getting on the back wheel of Crutchlow’s bike, leading him to crash out at the first chicane.
In addition to Biaggi’s achievements it was also a historic day for the factory BMW team with Troy Corser making the most of the circumstances to secure the team’s first-ever WSB podium. In the early stages of the race, Corser pushed Biaggi before fighting with Haslam for second spot. BMW’s first podium has taken a year and five rounds, but after his ever-improving form in the last three rounds this success was just a matter of time.
“I knew that a podium was possible after Assen,” said Corser. “The bike has been working better for me recently and I expected a podium here or at the next round. I’m extremely happy with the bike’s performance today, particularly in the second race. I was able to race the track and not think about what I was doing. This afternoon, my bike was a complete package and I felt in control and could run consistently fast – especially once I got used to the way the brakes were working. For me, Race 2 today was one of my best-ever rides.”