Max Biaggi secured a double podium finish in Qatar as the Sterilgarda Go Eleven team kicked off the 2008 World Superbike Championship season in style at Losail.
On a solid weekend for the Ducati squad, team-mate
Ruben Xaus also took a trip to the podium to ensure both riders end the opening weekend of racing inside the top four in the championship standings.
Indeed the weekend could have been better for Biaggi, who produced a forceful ride in the opening race to take the lead on the eleventh lap. From there he found himself coming under increasing pressure from a recovering
Troy Bayliss and on the final lap, Bayliss managed to edge ahead to secure victory by just a tenth of a second.
The Roman was once again in the mix in the second race and led the race until being overhauled by team-mate Xaus and eventual winner
Fonsi Nieto. However, with his engine hitting problems in the closing stages, Biaggi was happy enough with a double podium that leaves him second in the standings.
"Race one was fantastic," he said. "Unfortunately the final lap didn't go as I wanted. I tried to pass Bayliss at the last bend but the front tyre was over and I couldn't do that. In race two, the power of the engine decreased and I had to slow down.
"However, I want to give my compliments to the team and we have to be happy about today's performance. I'm really confident for the next race in Australia, where I'm sure I can go even better."
Team-mate Xaus also enjoyed a good start to the campaign, with a solid ride in the opening race of the weekend yielding a fourth place finish. Having diced side-by-side with Biaggi early in race two, Xaus worked his way up to second place and despite a frenetic final few laps as he tried to get ahead of Nieto, had to settle for the second step of the podium.
"In race one, I missed the pace of the first five laps," he said. "In race two, after a weak start, I recovered to the leading pack and I fought for the victory. It was an extraordinary race with a lot of great battles.
