A couple of Tweets between Max Biaggi and Flavio Briatore, and some paddock gossip during last weekend’s World Superbike round at Motorland Aragon has prompted some speculation – by an Italian motorcycle website – that the retired two-time Superbike champion may be contemplating a return to racing.
The 41-year old Roman Emperor announced his retirement from racing last November saying it was “the right time to stop” and now is the World Superbike technical commentator for Sportmediaset, but apparently the Italian still feels the call of racing in his blood, and going to the circuits but not putting on his racing leathers and riding is difficult for him.
According to Moto.
it, Biaggi is still in excellent physical condition and continues to train, and rumors have it that there was a contact between the Italian and Kawasaki, and that he was also seen talking to Aprilia’s Gigi Dall’Igna for an unusually long period of time (which could easily be explained that he’s just doing his job as a commentator, and trying to find some interesting info to relate to TV viewers).
A return by Biaggi could certainly spark more interest in World Superbikes especially in Italy, which saw the last televised round have only a little more than one million viewers for race 1 and just 616,000 for race 2, with most analysts saying that it was due to the first warm and sunny day in several months and people couldn’t wait to get outside and do their own riding instead of watching it on TV, while others blame it on the fact that there is no longer a true media grabbing personality.
Let’s just not hope that this rumor of Biaggi to make a comeback doesn’t turn into the same thing that happened with Troy Bayliss, who went on for a year after he retired saying that he’d like to return to racing giving his numerous fans hopes and then dashing them.