Althea Ducati boss concerned by Max Biaggi fight back

Althea Racing team manager Genesio Bevilacqua has once again signalled his displeasure at the decision to 'penalise' the Ducatis with an additional 6kg of ballast in 2012, particularly in light of Max Biaggi's excellent fight back to second place at Phillip Island.

The Italian has been a staunch protestor of the revised regulations over the winter, enforced following Checa's dominant turn on the 1200cc Ducati 1098R in 2011, and continued to complain at Phillip Island, despite his rider's competitive showing throughout the weekend.

Indeed, though Checa went on to take victory in the second race of the day, Bevilacqua was concerned by Biaggi's ability to battle back from 24th to second place following an off at the first turn.

With Biaggi ending the race just five seconds behind Checa, having been almost nine seconds adrift before having to make his way back through the field, Bevilacqua says he was 'disappointed' to see the 2010 champion able to make up such ground.

“After the crash in race one, we were worried that Carlos may be hurt but thankfully he wasn't and was able to concentrate on the second race. I was disappointed to see that there are riders that can start from last position and finish second, while we are penalised with six extra kilos of weight. It will be hard to overcome this difficulty this season, even with a rider, a champion, of Carlos' calibre.”

Despite Ducati's favourable results at Phillip Island, which also included Sylvain Guintoli and Jakub Smrz finishing the first race in third and fifth place respectively, the bikes were considerably down on pace through the speed traps, with Biaggi's Aprilia consistently 15kph quicker along the home straight.

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Max Biaggi: More focused then ever for 2012

Max Biaggi says he will be coming into the 2012 World Superbike Championship feeling more determined than ever after being unable to defend his title last season.

The Italian, who was a dominant champion in 2010, enters into his fourth season with the Aprilia Racing team this year keen to make amends for a 2011 season that yielded only two wins and saw him finish comfortably adrift of champion Carlos Checa.

Coupled to an injury that sidelined him for three events towards the end of 2011, Biaggi is looking to put that year behind him and look forward to a more successful 2012 campaign.

However, while Biaggi is confident he will be a force this season, he is aware that the competition amongst his rivals is likely to increase.

"It doesn't matter how many seasons we have under our belts and how many titles we've won. At the beginning of a new season I am always motivated to the maximum. Besides that, I must say that for 2012 I am even more focused on the task ahead, after what happened last year.

“I'm sure we can still play an important part in this Championship but at the same time I am aware of the fact that the level of competition, with the many team changes among my rivals, has increased even more. We'll have to work hard and never stop growing, but I can assure you that this year once again, everyone will have to deal with us.”

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Marco Melandri to BMW and reveals why not with Aprilia.

World Superbike runner-up Marco Melandri discusses his first impressions of the BMW S1000RR and reveals why he cannot partner Max Biaggi at Aprilia.

Marco Melandri has spoken out for the first time about his switch to BMW ahead of the 2012 World Superbike Championship, revealing that he sees both potential and 'difficulties' in the manufacturer's package.

Though he has participated in three tests with BMW since he concluded his maiden WSBK season with Yamaha at Portimao, contractual obligations have prevented Melandri from discussing his first impressions of the S1000RR.

With his Yamaha contract having now expired, Melandri has spoken to Gazzetta dello Sport about his decision to join BMW and not, as was rumoured, Aprilia, the former MotoGP rider stating that 'Biaggi's contract excludes an Italian rider as a team mate'.

Opting to join Leon Haslam at BMW, Melandri is confident the S1000RR has the potential to be a front runner, even if he concedes there is still much to improve upon.

“We don't want to teach the Germans how to make motorcycles, we only want to offer our experience. We entered the pit garage on tiptoe, but they are curious to learn about how we work. 

“I saw enough during the first test with the S1000RR to realise that there will be a lot of difficulties. One of the priorities will be to keep up the team morale when things don't go well. On a fast lap we are still far away, but over a race distance, I'm sure I can come up with more. I can't wait to start.”

Melandri finished runner-up to Carlos Checa in 2011, while BMW – which is yet to win a race in three seasons of WSBK racing – ended the year fourth in the manufacturers' standings.

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Max Biaggi interview at EICMA - 2012 Season

The presence of the SBK Paddock Show at EICMA was a great opportunity for the public to get up close with many of the top WSB riders. One of the biggest draws was clearly the 2010 world champion, Max Biaggi. The ‘Roman Emperor' arrived on Saturday afternoon for the ritual photograph and autograph sessions, after which WorldSBK.com interviewed him backstage about the past year and the prospects for the 2012 season.

You're here at EICMA once again, this time at the World Superbike stand. What do you think of the show?

"EICMA is the biggest and best bike show in Europe. Every year there are always a lot of new bikes and it's just great to be here. I'm sure this negative period for the bike market will come to an end and things will start to improve again in the motorcycle industry."

The 2011 season wasn't particularly easy. You were injured at the Nürburgring, then you came back at Portimão with two strong races despite only starting in 17th slot. Are you glad you can get back on the bike again at the end of the month at the Algarve circuit?

"I finished third overall, with a bit of bad luck and after missing three rounds. For sure I wanted to do better but luck wasn't in my zodiac sign this year. But I'm back in shape, that's the important thing, I don't need to recover any more because I'm already at 100%. Now I can start to work on myself and see where I can improve, and hope that the bike will make further progress so I can get a good start next year in Australia. I aim to get the number 1 plate back again but we'll have to see what the other riders think about that. We'll only have an idea of the 2012 season once the first race gets underway."

Let's move on to Eugene Laverty. Another rider from over the Channel, as in the last two seasons but someone who scored some good results in his first season. Do you think that competition within the same team can help in giving you further motivation?

"My team is already tried and tested and Biaggi and his staff are all ready to go. Laverty will have a team all for himself who will as a result work for him alone. The only positive thing I can see is that it will be a good stimulus for me should I find myself in difficulty, in that case it'll motivate me even more to try and stay ahead."

 

Resources:

http://www.worldsbk.com/en/news/5-news/9481-biaggi-backstage-at-eicma.html

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