Max Biaggi was happy to dispel any doubts that his podium challenging performance in Australia was far from a fluke as he challenged for victory in both races at Losail.
With no testing around the Qatari circuit prior to the race weekend, Aprilia had been anxious that they would be on the back foot this time around, but instead revealed the true potential of the RSV-4 by being amongst the pace setters throughout.
Qualifying on the front row once again, Biaggi swept into the lead of the first race, a position he would hold for a total of 13 laps, resisting intense pressure from
Noriyuki Haga and Ben Spies.
Eventually Spies would slip through into the lead, while an opportunistic move by Haga on the penultimate lap would demote Biaggi onto the bottom step of the podium.
The following race painted a similar picture for Biaggi as he battled it out with Haga for second place, only for his rival to once again deny him with a successful lunge towards the end of the final lap.
Nonetheless, Biaggi was still thrilled with a pair of podiums, the Italian hailing his burgeoning team for being so competitive already.
''I'm very happy not only to be climbing atop the podium, but also for the awareness that I am constantly fighting for the top positions,” he said.
“The first race was difficult. My rivals were glued to me and it wasn't easy to keep the right pace and the proper concentration with all of that pressure. “Race two was great and we confirmed our potential and the feeling we have on this track, which has always been good to me.
“I am very happy with this package because it is already very competitive, I have established a good feeling with the bike and it is for this reason that I must thank my team for the very hard and important work they are doing. I am happy to be on the podium not only for myself, but also for everyone who is involved with and believes in this project.”
Together with a fourth and seventh place finish for Shinya Nakano, Aprilia are up to fourth in the manufacturer standings.
