Not that anyone needed any official confirmation after the word got out that Max Biaggi will be at Mugello this Thursday and Friday to test the Ducati Desmosedici GP13 after the Roman Emperor himself tweeted the news last night.
This morning Biaggi reportedly said, “It’s eight months since I’ve been on a motorcycle and it’s only a test.
I’m not expecting anything and it will be hard,” but we are expecting a blow-by-blow account of the test when Biaggi returns in front of the microphones to comment World Superbikes Superpole session on Saturday afternoon at Portimao, unless Ducati makes him sign a non disclosure agreement beforehand.
Paolo Ciabatti, Ducati’s MotoGP project director said that Biaggi’s test is just to fullfil a request and desire that the retired World champion had expressed, and since Ben Spies’ Ducati was staying in Mugello because the American rider was supposed to take part in the two-day test before his pullout, they decided to give 42-year former champion the opportunity.
Apparently Biaggi’s test has sparked some controversy and conspiracy theories, but Ciabatti said that Ducati is happy with their current riders and know perfectly well what is wrong with the GP13 and it isn’t a lack of faith or trust in the feedback that their riders give them that sparked the decision to let Biaggi test.
Just to add to the usual wild conspiracy theories, there have been more than several rumors floating around this past week or so that Ducati is trying to poach Gigi Dall’Igna from Aprilia and since Biaggi rode under Dall’Igna’s watch … you get the drift of where this is going.
Pramac press release:Max Biaggi will take to the track aboard the Pramac Racing Team’s Ducati Desmosedici GP13 tomorrow for a two-day test at the Mugello circuit in Tuscany, Italy.
The four-time 250cc Grand Prix World Champion and two-time Superbike World Champion will ride the bike of Ben Spies, whose on-going shoulder problem forced him to withdraw from the race this past Sunday and from the Ducati MotoGP test planned for this week.
The Pramac Racing Team, along with Ducati, therefore decided to let Max try the Texan’s bike, which had already been prepared for the test.
At the moment, this is the extent of the arrangement, and Ducati Test Team rider Michele Pirro will substitute Spies on the Pramac Racing Team bike at the Catalan Grand Prix on 16 June in Barcelona.