It's a case that is currently shaking up motorcycle racing in Italy and which pits a legendary rider, Max Biaggi, against one of his ex-bosses, Marco Borciani. The latter spoke about a 2008 season of WSBK where he had the Roman emperor in his box, signaling the bad memory left by this experience of bending, so to speak, to the four wishes of a diva. A version of the story which angered the Corsair who opened the files and unpacked everything about this year when Ducati allegedly rigged the championship...
The fire started from Motoracing and, in the midst of a drought of news during a heatwave paralyzing the summer break in the Grand Prix, it could only spread at the speed of a qualifying lap. In Italy it consumes the world of motorcycles because Ducati and its ethics are clearly called into question by a Max Biaggi, furious at having been blacklisted by his former boss Marco Borciani, then owner of the Ducati satellite team in World Superbike.
We are in 2008 and after a reminder of the facts, Max Biaggi strongly attacks the management of this season by the management of Borgo Panigale... We read as follows: “ I had signed a contract directly with Ducati, a contract which provided for a move to the official team for the following year. The bike I first tested in 2008 was an absolute winner. Compared to the previous year, the motorcycle gained 200 cm3 in displacement. The bike on this occasion had the maximum revs at 11 rpm. After a few days we moved to Qatar, for another test and on this occasion the bike was cut by 500 rpm, due to an alleged structural problem on the camshafts. We couldn't do anything but adapt ».
And that’s where it all begins… “ In Valencia, during free practice, I realized there was something wrong with the bike. I stopped in the pits and spoke to my crew chief. However, the problem remained undefined. I was overtaken by drivers I had never seen before! Absurd. My chief technician, after several back and forths, finally admitted that Ducati Corse general manager Filippo Preziosi ordered him to insert specific mapping ».
Max Biaggi: “ only one driver had to win, otherwise the regulations would have penalized the 2 cylinder, it was necessary to penalize customers' motorcycles«
Max Biaggi then spills the beans: “ only one driver had to win, otherwise the regulations would have penalized the 2 cylinder. Indeed, if only one driver had won, the victory would have been attributable to his skill and not to a technical advantage of the 2 cylinders over the 4 cylinders. My motorcycle had suddenly gone bad. At the time, the regulations mainly provided that the leveling of performance between 4 and 2 cylinders, following a displacement advantage in favor of the 2 cylinders of 200 cc, was carried out thanks to a different minimum weight and with the the use of air flange, with which the air entering the air box was limited ».
« Penalties were easily triggered if a greater number of drivers were present in the first places, equipped with one of the two engines. The bike I tested in Australia was absolutely a winner, as it honestly had excessive engine advantage. For this reason, in order to win the world championship, it was necessary to penalize customer motorcycles. If the podium had been monopolized by the 2 cylinders, the application of the regulations would have reduced the performance advantage of the Ducati 1098 » assures biaggi.
Which means, ultimately, that the title of Troy bayliss from the time is made of cardboard. Max Biaggi moreover confirms it: “ When Bayliss' advantage in the general classification was consolidated, on my bike the limiter was moved to 12 rpm. All without any structural change! That same engine could now handle 250 more rpm. In short, the engine speed was increased and decreased according to the overall rating. Here's the truth I never told. But it helped me, it helped me win two more world championships on my Aprilia RSV4 ". Close the ban...
