Will he or won’t he? The Italians are so desperate to get through this weekend to see if Max Biaggi will be able to pull off a Superbike World Championship win on home turf that we’re glad it’s him in the hot seat and not us.
There are still a lot of ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ for Aprilia and Max Biaggi that it’s hard to predict how this weekend might pan out, but the desire to win is definitely there.
That doesn’t mean that Biaggi will ride recklessly – on the contrary in fact.
While he has stated how badly he wants to win the championship at Imola, he has also been wise enough to realise that his main objective is racing for points this weekend.
It all lies in a magic eight points and not letting Leon Haslam inside of them anytime soon.
Biaggi has plenty of experience and along with his comments on Rossi and Ducati at the Milan Dorsoduro presentation said: “The aim at Imola is to get as many points as possible.
Of course I’ll look at the standings but I can’t afford to go slowly.
It would be a dream to win the world championship at home with an Italian bike.
” If Max Biaggi were to win the SBK, whether at Imola or Magny Cours, he would be the first Italian to win in this category and it would be the first win for Aprilia.
So champagne all round for the Italians who have also seen the dream of Valentino Rossi moving to Ducati in the MotoGP.
That champagne won’t be without a bitter pill swallowed with it though, as Ducati fans and Italians will have to say goodbye to seeing Ducati race in the SBK on local shores this weekend.
Any victory by Biaggi and Aprilia this weekend would only underline what achievements Ducati might be missing by pulling out of the SBK.
Patriotism it seems, is very much a two-way street.