BIAGGI ON HOME SOIL AT MONZA
 The
sixth round of this year's Superbike World Championship takes
place at the legendary Monza circuit and it will be the first
'home' race for Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Max
Biaggi.
The Italian has never raced at Monza at either World Superbike
or MotoGP level, so the 5.792 kilometre track is going to
be a very new experience for him. Last year Monza was not
a happy hunting ground for Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra
rider Yukio Kagayama: He crashed early on in race one, after
James Toseland highsided right next to him and was forced
to retire with mechanical problems.
Max Biaggi:
"Racing at Monza will be a new experience for me for
two reasons: first, I have never ridden a Superbike there
before and second, it will be the first time I will be racing
a Superbike in Italy. I know that there will be extra attention
on me from the Italian media particularly, but once I am on
the bike I concentrate on what has to be done and do not let
outside influences get in the way. For me, it's not hard to
focus on the work and Monza will be no exception. I will be
at a disadvantage compared to the SBK regulars because they
have all raced at Monza before and will have greater track
knowledge then me. But normally I learn tracks pretty fast
and I think I will be ok. I know that Monza is famous for
slipstreaming and it is definitely something I need to be
aware of in the races. But my first task is to learn the track,
get a good bike set-up, and then go fast. That's my goal."
Yukio Kagayama:
"I would prefer to forget about Monza last year and
think positively about this year. I must get better results
this year for sure - as I don't believe that I can have the
same bad luck as last year. The crash in the first race was
strange. Toseland high-sided right next to me and I could
not avoid hitting him. But the impact of our collision caused
him to land back on his bike, whereas I hit the tarmac and
that was that! Second race was a technical problem, so no
more to say. This year is still not going as I expect. I have
had crashes, bad luck and some technical things to sort out
but I feel I must be due for some good results soon. Maybe
Monza can be a change of fortune for me. I hope so, because
I need it!"
2006 results:
Race 1: 1 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati), 2 Barros (Bra-Honda), 3 Corser
(Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra). Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare
Suzuki Corona Extra) DNF.
Race 2: 1 Bayliss, Corser (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra),
3 Haga (J-Yamaha). Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona
Extra) DNF.
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