Photo: worldsbk.com
Some might say that finishing a racing weekend in the 6th position is not exactly something to write home about, but seeing retired Max Biaggi donning his racing leathers and going up against the best riders in the World Superbike is awesome.
After dominating the first two Free Practice sessions on Friday, Biaggi was also eighth and third in the other two, but ended up in a most honourable fifth place on the starting grid in Superpole 2 on Saturday.
Biaggi knew he just could not pose a real threat to the riders at the top of the scoreboards, but he wasn't willing to let go without a hard fight. Kawasaki's Tom Sykes led the entire Race 1 and won in a most authoritative way while behind him, Jonathan Rea and Chaz Davies delighted the crowds with a spectacular battle on the very last lap.
Davies managed to get past Rea in the final corner at Misano but ran wide, allowing the Kawasaki rider to squeeze through and get the second position. The dueling duo also passes Ducati's Davide Giugliano, who ran in a steady second position until the last two laps.
Race 2 brought a battle between Jonathan Rea and Davide Giugliano. The Ducati rider led from lap 7, but five laps before the flag he was passed by Rea's Kawasaki and could only exert a lot of pressure, but without any chance to claw back the lead. Leon Haslam was third, ahead of Chaz Davies, while Sykes dropped back to the 5th position.
In this second encounter, Biaggi was also sixth, battling with another Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils machine ridden by Jordi Torres, with who he constantly swapped positions during the 21 laps.
All in all, it turned out that Biaggi's return to WSBK racing was more productive than that of Troy Bayliss. Modest as he was before the Misano round, Max Biaggi however, showed that he's still got what it takes to keep up with the leaders of the championship, even after almost three years of absence. Other MotoGP big names present at MIsano were Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso.
Biaggi's next official outing with Aprilia takes place at Sepang, on 2 August.
Biaggi knew he just could not pose a real threat to the riders at the top of the scoreboards, but he wasn't willing to let go without a hard fight. Kawasaki's Tom Sykes led the entire Race 1 and won in a most authoritative way while behind him, Jonathan Rea and Chaz Davies delighted the crowds with a spectacular battle on the very last lap.
Davies managed to get past Rea in the final corner at Misano but ran wide, allowing the Kawasaki rider to squeeze through and get the second position. The dueling duo also passes Ducati's Davide Giugliano, who ran in a steady second position until the last two laps.
Biaggi clashes with Guintoli in the opening lap
Leon Haslam could not find a satisfactory pace and barely got in front of Biaggi. The six-time world champion also had a breathtaking moment on the opening lap, when he clashed with Sylvain Guintoli. Both riders were unscathed, and Guintoli ended Race 1 in the 9th position.Race 2 brought a battle between Jonathan Rea and Davide Giugliano. The Ducati rider led from lap 7, but five laps before the flag he was passed by Rea's Kawasaki and could only exert a lot of pressure, but without any chance to claw back the lead. Leon Haslam was third, ahead of Chaz Davies, while Sykes dropped back to the 5th position.
In this second encounter, Biaggi was also sixth, battling with another Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils machine ridden by Jordi Torres, with who he constantly swapped positions during the 21 laps.
All in all, it turned out that Biaggi's return to WSBK racing was more productive than that of Troy Bayliss. Modest as he was before the Misano round, Max Biaggi however, showed that he's still got what it takes to keep up with the leaders of the championship, even after almost three years of absence. Other MotoGP big names present at MIsano were Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso.
Biaggi's next official outing with Aprilia takes place at Sepang, on 2 August.
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