Max Biaggi had a difficult start to 2005 - breaking his leg while riding a Supermoto machine in the off-season, affecting his pre-season testing fitness - but even the 34-year-old Italian couldn’t have imagined the nightmare scenario that would unfold during, and after, the season.
A graduate of the 250cc class where he won a staggering four consecutive world titles from 1994 to 1997, the 'Roman Emperor' maintained his momentum when he entered the 500cc fray in 1998 - winning two races in his debut season and only losing out to Mick Doohan, at the height of his powers, in the title race.
A switch from Honda to the factory Yamaha team from 1999-2002 brought further race wins, but - with hindsight - he and Yamaha crucially failed to capitalise on the years between Doohan's injury induced departure early in 1999 and Valentino Rossi's first world championship in 2001.
Instead, Doohan's team-mate Alex Criville would clinch the 1999 world title (with Biaggi just 4th, with one win), while Suzuki's Kenny Roberts Jr won the 2000 crown (with Biaggi 3rd, having taken two wins).
Between Roberts and Biaggi was the Honda of countryman Rossi who, in his debut 500cc season, was already challenging Biaggi as Italy's biggest motorcycle racing star - with a bitter rivalry soon flourishing as the intense Biaggi settled into his role as the dark 'antidote' to the extravagant, happy and massively popular Rossi.
Comments in the press by both riders had inflamed the situation still further and 2001 (the last 500cc season) started off in controversy as Biaggi appeared to elbow Rossi off the start-finish straight at Suzuka at over 120mph… The #46 soon recovered, retaking Biaggi and lifting his middle finger as he did so.
The pair would continue to clash on and off track - with a physical fight breaking out on the way to the Catalunya (round six) podium. Part of the reason for such tension was that the pair were evenly matched throughout the early part of 2001 - and after round 9 (of 16), the German Grand Prix, Rossi held a mere 10-point championship lead over Biaggi. But thereafter Biaggi's challenge faltered, leaving Rossi to comfortably win his first premier-class crown.
2002 saw the first season of the new four-stroke MotoGP class, which Rossi and the RCV went on to dominate - but Biaggi was again his closest rival, the Roman breaking the RCV domination of Rossi and team-mate Tohru Ukawa by claiming the first ever Yamaha M1 victory, at Brno, before taking a second M1 win later in the season.
During 2001/2002 Rossi or Biaggi won all but five races… but unfortunately for Max, Rossi claimed 22 wins and Biaggi 5.
During those years, Biaggi's Yamaha machinery (both the 500cc of 2001 and the YZR-M1 of 2002) was seen as being inferior to Rossi's NSR500 and RC211V - making many argue that Max could potentially beat Rossi on a Honda.
Biaggi appeared to grow ever more inclined to this way of thinking and split from Yamaha at the end of 2002 to take a satellite Honda ride with the Pons team for 2003. He would not be on exactly the same spec bike as factory rider Rossi, but it was still a Honda RCV.
However, Biaggi now had a challenger for 'best of the rest' title behind Rossi with a resurgent Sete Gibernau winning four of the first nine races. Biaggi went on to win two races later in the season, but could only collect third in the standings.
Biaggi remained at Pons for 2004 and with Rossi having sensationally switched to Yamaha the pair produced one of the greatest races of all time in the South African season opener at Welkom - battling on the limit for the entire race as they finished just 0.2secs apart and over 7secs from third placed Gibernau. Rossi had won a legendary victory, but a brief shake of the hands after crossing the line showed that the bitterness between the two Italians had mellowed, and was being replaced with a greater level of mutual respect - although never friendship.
A string of consistent top three results put Biaggi just one-point from Rossi after round eight of sixteen, but back-to-back DNFs at Portugal and Japan soon after would see him drop away from Rossi and again fall victim to Gibernau. Max would only win one race in 2004, with Gibernau taking four wins and Rossi eight.
Rossi's 2004 season had taught Honda that they needed the best rider possible in their factory team - machinery alone was not enough - and with Gibernau contracted to Telefonica Movistar, making him unable to join the Repsol backed factory team, Biaggi finally got a dream factory Honda ride for 2005.
Legendary tuner Erv Kanemoto was reunited with Biaggi to help his title attack, but the dream soon to into a nightmare when - despite headline grabbing pre-season testing performances - he suddenly began suffering chattering and other handling problems with the bike just before the start of the season.
Incredibly, and for whatever reason, those problems would never be solved to Biaggi's satisfaction - with a third place in the rain interrupted second round at Estoril proving a false dawn as Biaggi continued to struggle during practice and qualifying, but would often produce strong race performances.
The only highlights of an otherwise frustrating season were a strong second place in his home Italian Grand Prix - after which he rode with a huge pirate flag, summing up the 'black knight' role to which he has been cast - and a further runner-up position to Loris Capirossi in the Japanese Grand Prix.
In total Biaggi took four podiums for a lowly fifth in the championship - having failed to win a race for the first time since he joined the premier-class in 1998. Worse still, young team-mate Nicky Hayden won the US GP and finished third in the points, with satellite Honda rider Marco Melandri - with whom Biaggi would clash for alleged blocking during qualifying at Assen - taking two wins on an RCV to finish the year runner-up to Rossi.
Biaggi's subsequent downfall after the 2005 season would prove every bit as dramatic - and well publicised - as his duels with Doohan and Rossi, with the first signs that Honda was losing patience with the Roman coming at the tail end of 2005, when it was rumoured that he would not be allowed to ride due to criticisms of the company.
HRC appeared to have been angered by comments, attributed to Biaggi, that there was some sort of conspiracy against him - thoughts fuelled by Italian journalists who pointed out that some satellite RCVs had a higher top speed than his factory machine - although no official comment was ever made.
After his nightmare 2005, it was no surprise when Biaggi was replaced by 250cc star Dani Pedrosa, but the depth of Honda's disapproval of Biaggi only came to light when it emerged - towards the end of 2005 - that HRC did not want Biaggi on any Honda in 2006.
Usually a former factory Honda rider has no problem securing a satellite Honda seat when they leave the team, as the likes of Tohru Ukawa and Alex Barros had done - and Camel, title sponsors of the Honda Pons team, made clear they wanted Biaggi back for 2006.
But Honda held firm and, with Camel remaining loyal to Biaggi, began searching for a seat with other MotoGP manufacturers. A third factory Kawasaki looked likely, but the deal fell apart in December and Camel were eventually forced to admit defeat in finding Biaggi a 2006 seat.
The fallout from the saga wasn't only limited to Biaggi since Camel - disgusted with the "unsporting" attitude of Honda (and some other manufacturers who had denied Biaggi a ride despite the money on offer) - withdrew sponsorship from the Honda Pons team - that had lined up Carlos Checa and Casey Stoner for 2006 - and took it to the factory Yamaha outfit of Rossi and Colin Edwards.
The loss of Camel backing in turn forced the Pons team to withdraw from the 2006 MotoGP World Championship.
Meanwhile, Biaggi turned his attention top World Superbikes - who were keen to welcome the Roman - but negotiations with reigning champion's Alstare Suzuki fell apart when they were unable to guarantee 'machinery equality' with Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama. The problem appeared to be that some of Alstare's (Japanese) component suppliers weren't willing to supply the extra Biaggi bike - further fallout from the Roman's Honda split?
Before the collapse of the 2006 WSBK negotiations, Biaggi made the headlines once again by testing a Midland F1 car at a wet Silverstone (Rossi having been testing a Ferrari on and off for the past year) while plans were made for a possible motorcycle comeback in 2007…
That comeback was duly confirmed when Biaggi signed to ride for Alstare Suzuki in the 2007 World Superbike championship, at the expense of Corser.
Career in brief:
2007 Signs to ride for Alstare Suzuki in WSBK.
2006 Forced out of MotoGP due to the fallout from his Honda exit, then unable to agree a deal with Alstare Suzuki in WSBK. Thought to be planning further tests in Midland F1 car and plotting a 2007 return to two-wheel action.
2005 Leaves the Camel team after getting a dream offer from the factory Repsol Honda outfit to ride alongside Nicky Hayden, in what was seen as his best chance yet of a first premier-class world crown. Season turns into a nightmare as handling and set-up issues see Biaggi take just four podiums (and no wins) on his way to fifth in the standings. His frustration builds and off track comments anger Honda, resulting in a ban from riding for any Honda team in 2006 - despite Camel wanting him back at Honda Pons.
2004 Remains with the Camel team. Wins one race and takes eight further podium finishes on his way to third overall in the championship, behind Sete Gibernau and Valentino Rossi.
2003 Moves to Camel Pramac Pons to ride a customer spec Honda RC211V. Took two wins on his way to third in the championship standings.
2002 Takes the new Yamaha M1 to its first GP victory, at Brno, to become the only rider to beat Honda in 2002. Again runner-up in the championship to Rossi.
2001 Continues with the Marlboro Yamaha Team in the 500cc World Championship. Finishes second in the drivers' championship with 219 points. 3 wins.
2000 Finished third in 500cc World Championship with the Yamaha Team. 2 wins.
1999 Fourth in the 500cc World Championship after switching to Yamaha. 1 win.
1998 Made 500cc World Championship debut in Japan with Honda. Finished runner-up in the championship standings. 2 wins.
1997 Won the 250cc World Championship with five wins for Honda (fourth title).
1996 Won the 250cc World Championship with nine wins for Aprilia (third consecutive title).
1995 Won the 250cc World Championship title for the second time with Aprilia. 8 wins.
1994 Competed in the 250cc World Championship - rejoining Aprilia to take five wins and his first 250cc title.
1993 Fourth in the 250cc World Championship with Honda. 1 win.
1992 Fifth in the 250cc World Championship with Aprilia. Also secured first 250cc podium (ITA), first pole (EUR), first victory and fastest lap (SAF). 1 win.
1991 Made 250cc World Championship debut with Aprilia - finished 27th. Won European 250cc Championship.
1990 125cc Italian Sports Production Champion with Aprilia.
1989 First race - starts career late after initially wanting to be a footballer.
