From Biaggi to Bulega, how much Superbike has changed: "In MotoGP, don't expect him to win right away

Max Biaggi was for a long time the only Italian rider to have won the Superbike World Championship twice. Now he has been joined by Nicolò Bulega, the predictable outcome of a dominated season: 26 wins and 4 second places in 30 races. The memory of the titles won by the Roman rider gives us a sense of how much, in just 14 years, the championship, the riders, and the environment have changed.

When he won his first title, Max Biaggi was 39 years old. He already had four 250 GP World Championships to his name, a golden period that made him a star well-known even outside the world of motorcycling. First for his frequent appearances in the jet set, accompanied by superstar female figures like the supermodel Naomi Campbell, just to name one. Then for his fierce rivalry with Valentino Rossi, the rising star who was eclipsing him on track and in the tabloids.

At the end of 2005 he was kicked out of MotoGP, sat out a year, and became a prime catch for Superbike. At that time the two World Championships were in open rivalry: calendars, TV coverage, circuits, manufacturer interest, star riders—the competition was full spectrum. Biaggi in the paddock represented a fantastic opportunity that the Flammini brothers seized to grow Superbike beyond the core motorcycle enthusiasts who already adored it. To make the deal happen, they put in their own money and asked for help from the only entity in that era that had sponsors (Corona beer), the technical structure, and the potential of a factory manufacturer: Suzuki. We’re talking about Francesco Batta’s Alstare team. The debut was explosive: Max Biaggi won on his debut in Qatar, massively broadening media and public interest. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing...

Biaggi couldn’t win the World Championship because other bikes were more competitive than the Suzuki. In 2007 the champion was James Toseland, with Honda. The Roman wanted Ducati at all costs, but Troy Bayliss was in the way. So Max, just to get on the twin-cylinder, went to Marco Borciani’s satellite team: a season riddled with arguments, clashes, and terrible crashes, like the one in Turn 1 at Phillip Island in the opening round. But no matter, because Aprilia was coming back. 2009 was a shakedown year with the RSV4 in Alitalia livery, and the following year was incredible. Max sealed the World Championship at Imola, amid a sea of fans, taking advantage of Leon Haslam’s blown engine—Haslam was riding for Suzuki Alstare, Max’s old team. The perfect nemesis.

In 2011 Ducati took revenge with Carlos Checa, but Aprilia and Biaggi came back very strong the following year, with other rivals in the mix. The one who made life toughest for him was Tom Sykes with Kawasaki: the verdict came at Magny-Cours, after a dramatic head-to-head with the British rider decided by just half a point. The most incredible ending in living memory. Max Biaggi was world champion for the sixth time, at the fine age of 41. Superbike had given him a second sporting life; he had given the championship the final push to become a top-tier motorsport series in Italy as well, as it had been for many years in the English-speaking world.

Bulega celebrated at the small Cremona circuit, in front of half the crowd that was there in Biaggi’s time, but now he is part of history too. “The Ducati was the unbeatable bike, but Bulega wasn’t the only one riding it, so when you win as much as he has, there’s no doubt the talent is there,” Max acknowledged. “He was lucky like me, because celebrating a World Championship in Italy, in front of your own fans, stays with you. I remember Imola like it was now.” At the Cremona celebration, bridging two eras and two very different riders, was Luigi Dall’Igna, Aprilia’s racing director in Max Biaggi’s time and now in the same role with Ducati.

Max Biaggi raced for many years in MotoGP and knows it very well even today, in his role as Aprilia ambassador, constantly in the garage with Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi. “Superbike is at a high level, but MotoGP is the pinnacle of technology; Bulega certainly has the ability to do well,” the six-time World Champion admits. Then he taps the brakes: “He’ll be taking on riders of great quality and immense experience; I wouldn’t expect him to win right away. But maybe, with time, the satisfactions will come.”

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