In his very first race on...
In his very first race on the Honda NSR500 at the Suzuka GP in 1998, Biaggi surprised the pundits who predicted that he'd have a difficult time adapting to the vicious and unforgiving V-four two-stroke by winning easily. And yes, that's fellow World Superbike competitor Nori Haga on the right, who scored a podium finish in a wild card ride.
GOLD & GOOSE
"You will see after lap ten when the tire will start to move around you will lose time," is what Biaggi remembers Mamola saying. In his own voice, he says, "when the tire started to move around I kept my 10 seconds and I win with nine seconds." Actually, it was 5.416 secs. "But that is one of my strong abilities, to feel the tire and to use also softer compound while most of the rest, they can't. So this is a good thing. And I always have this, let's say, feel. Even from the small class."
What the episode clearly demonstrated was Biaggi's ability to use a softer tire for a longer period than anyone else. And he did it with a riding style that emphasized corner speed over the point-and-shoot style of the era.
"I think at the end of the day any class is corner speed," Biaggi says. "I remember 500, when I was riding Yamaha, they say, 'aw Biaggi, [his riding style is all] corner speed.' When Rossi was riding Honda, it was more going straight and then like this," he said, indicating point-and-shoot. "And then after the last five years also Rossi tried to go corner speed, because you can win the time in the corner, not the straight. And if you speak with the engineers, to make on this track like half a second quicker, only from engine, you need five years development. But with the chassis and corner speed, maybe half a year." As Kanemoto says, "You kind of figure the amount of time versus straightaway speed. You're not full throttle very long in one lap."
Biaggi finished second to Doohan that year, a position he would repeat in '01 and '02 to Valentino Rossi.
During his final 250cc championship...
During his final 250cc championship year in '97, Biaggi paired with master tuner/crew chief Erv Kanemoto on a Honda. The pair were rewarded with a factory NSR500 for the following season.
GOLD & GOOSE
Kanemoto moved in and out of Biaggi's life, starting in 1993 and ending in 2005, the last year for both in the premier class. From start to finish, "Basically, his approach and his mindset were the same, but for all of us, as we get older life gets more complicated and we draw from the experiences and stuff like that...you have more conviction in some of your thoughts, right or wrong," Kanemoto said. The 2005 season was the last in MotoGP for both Biaggi and Kanemoto and a difficult year for Nicky Hayden, Biaggi's teammate.
"It was a difficult year because of a lot of pressure on Max, a lot of pressure on everybody on the team and due to that...I don't know what to say about that year," confesses Kanemoto, who rarely criticizes those he worked for or his riders. "I'm sure it wasn't fair to Nicky, almost everyone involved, from Honda's side or whatever. It was just too much to do in one year. The bike needed more development and you had people like Max who expected to do well and Nicky who was really on his way up and showed potential that needed help." The idea was that Kanemoto would work with both riders, but Biaggi monopolized his time, and he couldn't give Hayden the kind of attention both had hoped for.
JOE DICK/GEE BEE IMAGES/2...
JOE DICK/GEE BEE IMAGES/2SNAP
Neither would Honda Racing Corporation. The problem wasn't exactly arrogance, but something similar. There was turnover at the top, and the decision-making process had changed; there was less camaraderie and more finger pointing. The departure of Rossi-who left at the end of '03-would prove to be a deep blow, but they refused to acknowledge it, nor would they show regret losing technical impresario Jerry Burgess. The belief was that if they threw enough resources at the Honda RC211V-there were seven Honda riders-they'd be fine. Rossi won the championship by 147 points, finishing on the podium in every race but Japan.
Not helping matters was Biaggi's well-deserved reputation for strafing rookie riders. And Hayden was not omitted from the fold. A few practice incidents culminated in an infamous episode during a pre-season test in Malaysia where Biaggi collided with Hayden in front of the Repsol garage (less well-known was the follow-up when a fed-up Hayden had Biaggi by the throat in the back of the paddock). By the end of the year Biaggi was unemployed.