Kawasaki targets Biaggi?

The French Grand Prix seemed to mark the unofficial start of the MotoGP silly season, with much rumour and speculation about the futures of - amongst others - Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa and Olivier Jacque.

However, one of the most 'interesting' Le Mans whispers involved Kawasaki making an alleged 3.5-million euro offer to secure the services of Repsol Honda's Max Biaggi.

"About the rumours that say that Kawasaki offered me 3.5-million euros to join them, I can only say that it's positive because it means that I am considered a winner," commented Max on his official website. "But I'm fine where I am, in HRC, and I don't want to move.

"My potential and that of my team have not been expressed yet. It is much higher than it seemed today. Of course there is still is work to do, but I want to win with Honda and I know that this is possible very soon," he added.

Meanwhile, Biaggi was forced to sit out the two-day post French GP test - which concludes on Tuesday - due to injuries sustained when he was thrown from his factory RCV during Sunday morning's warm-up - but hopes to be fully fit for his home event, the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, on June 5.

"I'm forced to leave Le Mans without testing the new parts that HRC brought here," he confirmed. "The pain is so big that I can't get on the bike, not even on its stand... I'm very lucky, because when the bike threw me far up in the air I landed with all my weight on the lower part of the spine, where the leathers have no protections. I felt such a crack I thought I broke some vertebras. Now I only hope to recover in time for the Italian GP."

Despite his morning injury, Biaggi went on to finish a hard fought fifth in the French Grand Prix.