Superbikes Special 2012: Max Biaggi

Despite everything, Biaggi finished third in the championship, with 2 wins (Aragon race 2 and Brno race 2) and no fewer than 9 second-place finishes. Although he finished level on points with Laverty, the final third place went to him.

2011 was not an easy year for Max, as his Aprilia was not as competitive as in 2010. On top of that, he had bad luck during practice in Germany, where a stone thrown up by another bike broke a metacarpal in his foot.

And he did not have to fight only the elements: Checa’s Ducati proved very competitive despite not being an official machine, which forced the Roman to take more risks than he should have, also causing crashes at Donington and in the USA.

To make matters worse, he had to deal with Melandri, who was very combative all year in the official Yamaha team, challenging the monopoly Biaggi had over the Italian fans, in a championship that hosts no fewer than three races on Italian soil.

This year he reclaims his magic number 3, and he will surely make things very difficult for our Carlos Checa. Now recovered from the foot injury, the Italian is set to fight back for the Superbikes crown with more determination than ever, in what will be the sixth season for this rider, who turns 41 in June.

Photos | www.max-biaggi.com