May 15 : Biaggi on Home Podium at Monza

Max Biaggi raced his Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra GSX-R1000 to third place in the
opening World Superbike race at Monza today and was on course for another podium in
race two until clashing with another rider.
 

Exiting the Ascari, Biaggi ran wide, rejoined the track, but touched the Ducati of
Troy Bayliss and in the impact, his clutch lever was bent out of position. When he
tried to brake for the Parabolica, the clutch didn't work and he had to stamp on the
rear brake to slow down and in so doing ran onto the kerbstones and nearly
highsided. The Italian -racing in front of his home fans - made a tremendous
recovery, but the leaders had managed to sneak past.

Yukio Kagayama had a frustrating day, finishing sixth in race one after suffering
grip problems and then losing ground at the start of the second when a group of
riders cut the chicane on the first lap. Once that happened, he tried to regain
ground, but the gap was too great and he had to chase the pack, eventually ending up
seventh.

Max Biaggi:

"I feel a bit frustrated about the result even though I got a podium in race one.
For race two I focussed on getting a good start and everything was going more or
less to plan until the last lap. I knew I had to lead exiting the Ascari, because
otherwise the others would draft me, so I pushed really hard. I went wide on the
exit and when I rejoined the track Bayliss and I touched. The impact damaged my
clutch and footrest, but I didn't really realise that at the time. On the approach
to the final turn - the Parabolica - I tried to brake hard and late and found I had
no clutch! I ran onto the kerbs and nearly highsided, but I was just about able to
keep control and carry on. But by then, Toseland, Bayliss and Rolfo had got past and
my chance of a second podium was gone.

"Monza has been a fantastic experience and the huge number of fans here has made
this a great weekend. Although there were a lot of people here, asking for my
autographs and photos, I didn't mind and I tried to sign as many as possible. I am
happy to do this for race fans."

Yukio Kagayama:

"I am not so happy with my results today because I know they should've been a lot
better. My start in race one was ok and I was in third place with lots of riders
around me going into the first chicane. It was very busy! After about five or six
laps, my rear grip started going down and I began to lose ground - especially on the
long straights.

"In race two, many riders cut the first chicane and I lost a lot of places. Once
that happened it was difficult to catch up and regain the places. Here at Monza,
once the front group is gone, there is no chance to catch them again. This weekend
has been a bit frustrating for me and I hope that the next race weekend can be
better. "


Race 1: 1 Haga (J-Yamaha), 2 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati), 3 Max Biaggi (I-Alstare Suzuki
Corona Extra), 4 Toseland (GB-Honda), 5 Corser (Aus-Yamaha), 6 Yukio Kagayama
(J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 7 Lanzi (I-Ducati), 8 Fabrizio (I-Honda), 9
Muggeridge (Aus-Honda), 10 Neukirchner (D-Suzuki).

Race 2: 1 Haga, 2 Toseland, 3 Bayliss, 4 Rolfo (I-Honda), 5 Max Biaggi (I-Alstare
Suzuki Corona Extra), 6 Corser 7 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 8
Laconi (F-Kawasaki), 9 Muggeridge,10 Smrz (CZ-Ducati) .

Championship Points:1 Toseland 229, 2 Haga 194, 3 Max Biaggi (I-Alstare Suzuki
Corona Extra) 191, 4 Bayliss 164, 5 Corser 135, 6 Lanzi 107, 7 Xaus 106, 8
Neukirchner 81, 9 Rolfo 77, 10 Yukio Kag