Max Biaggi

Massimiliano "Max" Biaggi (born 26 June 1971) is an Italian former professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who achieved six World Championships.

With four 250 cc road race titles and two in World Superbikes, he is one of only two riders to score championships across both disciplines.

Biaggi is a brand ambassador for Aprilia motorcycles.

But in 1989, after he was given a motorcycle for his seventeenth birthday, he began his racing career in the 125cc class at age eighteen.

In 1990 he won the Italian Sport Production Championship.

Following his success in 125cc, Biaggi moved up to the 250cc class.

In 1991, Biaggi finished second behind British rider Woolsey Coulter in the European 250cc championship on an Aprilia RS250, and that same year he finished twenty-seventh in the Grand Prix motorcycle 250cc world championship riding for the same manufacturer.

In 1992, Biaggi completed his first entire season in 250cc Grand Prix for Aprilia, and finished the season fifth overall.

In that same season he took his first victory in Kyalami, South Africa.

The following season, Biaggi joined Honda, and finished fourth in the championship standings, including a single victory in Barcelona.

In 1994 he returned to Aprilia and dominated the 250cc Grand Prix class by winning three consecutive world championships in 1994, 1995 and 1996.

In 1997, Biaggi again returned to Honda, riding for Erv Kanemoto's team, and won his fourth consecutive title.

Following that, he moved up to the 500cc class.

Winning a race for 7 consecutive seasons in the Premier Class from 1998 to 2004.

Biaggi's 13 wins, 58 podiums and 23 Pole Positions in the Premier Class makes him one of the most accomplished riders to not win the MotoGP World Championship.

Biaggi was more interested in football as a child.

Biaggi made an impressive start in his 500cc debut, qualifying on pole, setting the fastest lap and winning his first race in the 1998 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix at Suzuka, riding for the Kanemoto Honda team.

He was also victorious at the Czech Republic Grand Prix, where he almost crashed when he accidentally did a 90° wheelie, and finished the season in second place behind Mick Doohan.

Biaggi then joined Yamaha to battle against the dominant Hondas.

He finished fourth in 1999, third in 2000, and second in 2001.

In 2002, Biaggi rode the four-stroke for the first time as development on the new motorcycle remained strong throughout the season.

He won in Brno, Czech Republic and Sepang, Malaysia to clinch runner-up in the championship behind rival Valentino Rossi.

In 2003, Biaggi finished third in the MotoGP championship after rejoining Honda on the Camel Pramac Pons team and won races in Pacific Grand Prix and Great Britain after Rossi penalised.

It was expected that Biaggi would be one of the main candidates for the title in 2004.

He won in Germany but a crash in Estoril saw his season begin to fade.

In 2007 Biaggi switched to the Superbike World Championship finishing third overall as a rookie and earned his first Superbike World Championship in 2010 becoming only the second European from outside the United Kingdom after Raymond Roche to do so.

After winning a second Superbike World Championship in 2012 at the age of 41, Biaggi retired from racing.

But he came back in 2015 in Malaysia as a wildcard to get a podium at the age of 44.

A consistent rider, In all of his 8 seasons with MotoGP/500 cc Biaggi finished inside the top 5 in the championship standings and 3 times as championship runner-up in, and.

Since 2019, he has owned a Moto3 racing team, based in Monaco.

In 2020, Biaggi was named a FIM Road Racing Legend, followed by inductance into the MotoGP Hall of Fame in 2022.

Biaggi is a 13-time Premier Class race winner.

He is a 4-time 250 cc World Champion, 2-time World Superbike Champion and 3-time runner-up in the Premier Class in, and.

After winning 4 consecutive 250 cc titles in, , and Biaggi moved to the 500 cc class in and immediately finished runner-up to Mick Doohan with 2 victories with Honda.

This earned him a move to the Factory Yamaha Team in.

In his 4 seasons with Yamaha Biaggi collected 8 victories and finished runner-up to Valentino Rossi in and.

Then he moved to Camel Honda in.

But only managed third place in the championship in and beaten by not only Valentino Rossi but also Gresini Honda rider Sete Gibernau.

A sole winless season followed in with Factory Honda Team and Biaggi was replaced by Dani Pedrosa for even though he got 4 podiums and a 5th place in the championship.

This proved to be Biaggi's final season in MotoGP.