Although he endured a dismal Portimao round when he couldn't find a rhythm around the circuit, Biaggi did enough to be classified in seventh overall and, perhaps more significantly, as the second best Ducati rider.

Indeed, Biaggi had been heavily linked with Troy Bayliss' vacant seat at Ducati Xerox in 2009, but having told Crash.net that he was towards the top of their list, team manager Davide Tardozzi would eventually snub him in favour of Noriyuki Haga.

Instead, Biaggi embarks on his third new team in as many years having been snapped up by the returning Aprilia team. Back with a factory team and the manufacturer that went a long way to making Biaggi what he is today, the 'Roman Emperor' has already shown in testing that he will remain a force to be reckoned with next season.

Even so, regardless of his form in 2009, Biaggi will continue to create debate – after all, every championship needs to have at least one colourful character…

8th – Max Biaggi
9th – Jakub Smrz
10th – Michel Fabrizio

Tomorrow: Who will be number seven in the WSBK Rider of the Year poll?