Max Biaggi was at Jerez. Not only as a spectator or friend of Jorge Lorenzo, but above all because, at 45, the ex-Italian rider has become a team manager and will arrive in the world next year to field Moto3 Mahindra,
Questioned by Corriere dello Sport, the rivalry between the Corsaire and Valentino Rossi did not take long to be mentioned, but, as is often the case, it transformed into a sort of respect over time. See more…
Max Biaggi : “Rossi always rides very hard and, recently, what really pleased me was that he said that the most beautiful challenges were the ones he had experienced with me. It was a great rivalry and I miss it a little. Today there is nothing comparable. His real enemy is neither Marquez nor Vinales: it is time. »
You ran until you were 42: is there an age to stop?
“A fixed age for stopping does not exist in this sport. The motorcycle rider is not a sprinter who uses muscular explosiveness. Even if this one is also useful. For me, the last podium in the World Superbike, at Sepang, at the age of 42, was a winning bet, but I encountered more difficulties than I would have expected. Which ones! It was difficult to recover certain automatisms, but above all, the head thought but the body did not respond exactly as I would have expected. Speed… is speed. So, when you think about placing the front wheel exactly on a trajectory, you may miss it by a few centimeters, but it's hundredths and tenths of a second that you lose. Then, for sure, you recover a little during the race, thanks to the experience, but not all. I remember thinking then that, only a few years earlier, it seemed to me that everything was happening more slowly. »
Valentino doesn’t seem to be at this point in his career yet…
“No, his luck is that he never stopped. »
However, recently he said he may have lost a bit of courage, compared to when he was younger...
“This is normal, but it is not courage. You lose explosiveness in the reactions, so you start to drive differently. »
What has changed between the time of your challenges and today?
“Very little, I think. In front, there are always two Hondas and two Yamahas. I ran with both houses, I can't speak on today, but in my time HRC was an almost militarized structure. With the arrival of Shuehei Nakamoto, it seems that it has become more friendly. »
What did you deduce from the first European Grand Prix?
“Jerez above all gave us Lorenzo at the forefront… it was a very difficult competition because it was very hot. »
Who drives the best?
“I like both Vinales and Marquez a lot, despite the fact that they have very different styles. Maverick is a chameleon, he seems to adapt quickly. Marc is incredible, he always seems on the edge but he has great control of the bike. »
Honda and Yamaha: iWe seem to understand that you have no preference for one factory or another.
“At Yamaha, when I raced, I felt more comfortable. However, the reality is that I have always felt like an Aprilia rider, also because it is with this factory that I have won the most. »
NWe would have expected to see you have a role in the team, now that they have returned to MotoGP…
“That was the promise they made to me, but it never came true. It never went beyond the proposal. I still wonder why. »
