Max Biaggi Stuns Everyone By Storming To Second Place In World Superbike Championship
Feb 23, 2007
Suzuki Racing
Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Max Biaggi stunned everybody by storming to second place in Superpole for tomorrow’s opening World Superbike Championship round in Qatar - despite never ever having done a Superpole lap before.
He was fifth overall in regular qualifying, but a super-smooth lap of 1:58.724 saw him finish just behind Troy Corser (Yamaha). Third quickest was James Toseland (Honda) with Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) fourth.
Biaggi’s team mate Yukio Kagayama made a few mistakes on his Superpole lap but claimed seventh and will start tomorrow’s pair of 18-lap races from the second row of the grid.
Max Biaggi - 2nd, 1:58.724 :
“Superpole was another new experience for me and I can tell you that I was a bit nervous before I started it. I didn’t want to make any mistakes or crash, so I tried to ride as smoothly as I could and get round in the best time. I am very happy because my Superpole lap was the fastest lap I’ve done this weekend and it means that I am well-placed on the front row of the grid. The bike is working well and I am enjoying all these new experiences, but what matters now is what happens in the races tomorrow. I think we can make a good result and for that I have to thank my Alstare team for all the work they’ve done. I am just sorry that Francis Batta is not here to see us and I hope he watches it on TV and we can give him a good result. “
Yukio Kagayama - 7th, 1:59.964 :
“I think I made small mistakes almost all round the circuit in my Superpole lap and that lost a lot of time. That was mainly because I did not have a good feeling with the qualifying tyre. Maybe I was a bit too aggressive in the first part and by the time I smoothed myself out, it was too late. But my set-up for the race is good - better than for Superpole - and I am confident that I can make good results. After all, second row at this track is not so bad because the first turn is a long way from the start. As long as I make a good start, I can be on the podiums. “
Final Qualifying:
1 Corser (Aus-Yamaha) 1:58.402,
2, Max Biaggi (I-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:58.724,
3 Toseland (GB-Honda) 1:59.005,
4 Haga (J-Yamaha) 1:59.294,
5 Lanzi (I-Ducati) 1:59.537,
6 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati) 1:59.668,
7 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:59.964,
8 Neukirchner (D-Suzuki) 2:00.098,
9 Nieto (E-Kawasaki) 2:00.240,
10 Rolfo (I-Honda) 2:00.414.
