Q&A: Max Biaggi.

Max Biaggi starts the 2005 MotoGP season with his best chance yet of claiming a first premier-class world crown, after signing to ride for the factory Repsol Honda outfit.

Here, the Roman answer questions on his much anticipated more to the official Honda team, how he plans to achieve his world title goal, his recovering ankle injury, the appointment of Erv Kanemoto and much more...

Q:
What would you like to tell your thousands of fans around the world about your arrival at Repsol Honda for 2005?

Max Biaggi:
Being in this team is a great opportunity; you may laugh now, but let me tell you that I've always wished to be part of this team and to wear the Repsol colours. This has been one of my biggest dreams and also one of my secrets, something that finally has become true.

Now I'm here, in the best team of the World Championship, with the support of Honda - the number one factory - and with such an important sponsor, who has achieved so much success in this sport as Repsol.

I know that we have a lot of work ahead; last year things didn't work out very well for the team, so we'll have to work hard to make the Honda be once again a winning bike.

You cannot make it in just two days, we're talking about a slow process that isn't free of difficulties, but I'm sure that we'll make it. We're moving forward, and that's always important and positive, and fortunately we still have two months ahead.

Q:
How is your foot injury doing?

Max Biaggi:
It's doing well, I'm almost recovered, let's say that right now I'm at a 90% of my best shape. It was a complicated and painful injury, but I've been working hard, so here I am, back again, riding fast and without trouble. I had some discomfort during the first tests of the year we made here, but it's forgotten.

Q:
Have you found big differences between the bike you rode last year and the factory bike you're riding now?

Max Biaggi:
Not for the moment, I don't see big differences between them. But we're testing countless new parts and we're allowed to do that because we are the official team. I couldn't do that in the other (Camel Honda) team because I wasn't a factory rider.

And that's the big difference. Now we have the chance to choose something we think is going to work well and make it evolve in our direction. That's how you can get a tailor-made bike that adapts to your needs, gives you confidence and therefore allows you to be faster on it.

Q:
How does the 2005 feel bike at present?

Max Biaggi:
Friday was the first day we started to work on the 2005 bike although the base is basically the same as last year. There are no big differences between one and the other; they look almost alike.

Right now we're testing countless elements, from engine parts to tyres, different chassis and geometries... We're looking for the right direction; once we've found it, we'll go deeply into it and create a winning bike. This isn't something we can achieve in only a couple of days, we need some months of work, testing and more work.

Q:
You've been in the premier-class since 1998. Is the best of Max Biaggi yet to come?

Max Biaggi:
Yes, I'd say 99% yes. Let's see what happens in the next ten months...

Q:
Is this the best chance you've had so far to be a premier-class world champion?

Max Biaggi:
Yes, that's true, it probably is. At the end of last season I had several possibilities on the table, some with major remunerations, but I'm not here to become rich and be often on TV; I know very well what I want and I'm conscious about the fact that this is the team that can offer me everything necessary to get the MotoGP title.

I want to be the number one, the world champion at the end of the season. Right now it's Rossi and his Yamaha who are number one and my aim is with no doubt beating that pairing and become number one myself. The way to get to your aims is never easy but we'll try it as a team.

Now we're starting to work and get to know each other; we have to try to get as much information as possible during these tests to make it as easy as possible for the engineers in Japan. But we have to move on fast and find the way to improve some aspects of the bike as quick as possible to be faster every time. Improving and developing the new bike is our main objective right now.

Q:
What do you need from Honda and from the Repsol Honda Team to become world champion in 2005?

Max Biaggi:
Working with Honda is with no doubt something incredible and I'm excited with the idea. The team is completely renewed compared to the previous seasons, so we're now trying to adapt ourselves and to become a close team.

We hardly knew each other only a couple of days ago so we have to look for harmony and balance between all of us. It's important to achieve it because we'll be much more competitive working that way.

Let's not forget that the team always plays a very important role in this sport, especially during race weekends, where we only have four hours to get the bike set and any mistake may set us back. Good communication within the team and a competitive bike are most of the times the key to be in the front.

Look, I signed the contract with Honda because they came to me and told me that they wanted me to ride for them to try to get the title together this year. And that's what we are here for, both Honda and me, to try to get the title, so I think that Honda will be the first one wanting to give me the necessary tools to try it with guarantees.

Q:
There are 12 people in your garage, a bike that is completely dismantled and then reassembled in a few hours, you've been working from 8.30 in the morning to 10 o'clock in the evening in the circuit. You seem very dedicated...

Max Biaggi:
Yes, that's the way I work, I always try to give my best and to transfer as much information to the team as I can be sure of, and as quick as possible. It's not easy to improve something that is already good; most of the times you can only give it some little touches to improve a tenth or two... You build a wall stone after stone, you'll never make it at once, just like appearing from nothing.

Well, it's the same in our case, if you don't plan things right, working methodically and seriously, you won't get the result you expect. It may happen some day, but then it won't be something that can offer you continuity and you probably won't know why it happened.

That's my style, always trying to be very precise with what I'm doing, getting to know and looking for an answer to what has happened. That's why I insist: communication is of vital importance; we have to communicate and talk about things that happen and how we can improve.

Q:
I guess that the presence of Erv Kanemoto, an old friend of yours, will be of vital importance for you and the team this season?

Max Biaggi:
Yes, we've known each other for a long time, I've learned a lot from him and we largely agree in several working aspects. Look, I'll be very sincere: I know how to win the world championship, and to do it I need the support of a factory and to be surrounded by the precise people, people like Kanemoto.

There's fluent communication with him. At the end of a test day, we often talk in the evening. Being relaxed, I analyse things I have seen on the bike and tell him. He's like me in this aspect, he lives his job intensively, he likes it and he always wants to improve.

Q:
What's your relationship like with your new team-mate Nicky Hayden?

Max Biaggi:
Good, Nicky is a nice team-mate. We already knew each other before because I use to spend some time in the United States and we had already been practising Supermotard together.

He's young, he's only been a couple of years here and I think that he's a good team-mate. We've been talking a bit about these tests today, about how things are going on for us and what problems and solutions we have... Sharing information on a general level.

Q:
So the fight for the 2005 world championship will be between you and...

Max Biaggi:
Valentino is the Champion and the man to beat. Starting from this point, I think that Gibernau, and I hope that myself, will be fighting for the title. Maybe Barros, Hayden, Capirossi, Tamada will be there as well...

Q:
How do you like the Repsol colours?

Max Biaggi:
Well, they fit me very well. The truth is that I liked the way I look with these colours. I think that the Repsol orange favours me a lot and I love this colour.