Biaggi: No Bridgestone problem.

Max Biaggi has claimed that Bridgestone will supply him with tyres, should Kawasaki and Camel finalise a deal for the Roman to ride a third factory ZX-RR in the 2006 MotoGP World Championship.

Last week, Bridgestone appeared to end any chance of the deal when Motor Cycle News reported that the Japanese company would support the same number of machines as in 2005 - and had refused to supply any additional riders.

With Makoto Tamada's request for a return to Bridgestone rubber reportedly turned down for that very reason, it appeared far from a hollow threat - with Kawasaki team manager Harald Eckl confirming that a Biaggi deal was "virtually impossible" as a result of the tyre situation.

However, speaking at the Bologna Motor Show, Biaggi claimed that Bridgestone had told him that tyre supply was not a problem - and he made clear that both Kawasaki and Camel know this... putting pressure back on the two companies to reach an agreement.

"Bridgestone confirmed to me that there wouldn't be any problem about getting me some tyres," the official MotoGP website reports Biaggi as saying. "The team, Kawasaki, is aware of that and so is the sponsor, Camel. So basically I told them I was available, now we'll have to wait and see what happens."