Biaggi's 2008 campaign with the brand new 1098RS began encouragingly with second and third place finishes at Qatar, but a double DNF next time out at Phillip Island - when he also broke his left wrist in a huge race two accident - marked the start of a difficult run.

"We started in very good shape, but then I broke my left wrist [at Phillip Island] and I broke two fingers two races after that [at Monza]. It was really unlucky and the worst problems I've had during the racing season in my career," said Biaggi.

"Since recovering, I've been on the podium once in each of the last three rounds. Don't forget we are a private team and that's make me even more proud," he added. "I'm really proud of my team and my guys, we'll try to keep finishing on the podium in the remaining rounds."

Despite his early-season injuries, Biaggi has fought his way back up to seventh in the world championship standings and is 20 points ahead of race winning team-mate Ruben Xaus, who missed the Brands Hatch round due to sickness.

"Max is one of the guys that we think could replace Troy," Tardozzi said of Biaggi during his interview with Crash.net Radio in the build-up to Brands. "This year he had a fantastic start and showed how strong he is, but he had some problems that weren't his mistakes. We are really looking forward to see what he will be doing at Brands Hatch."

Biaggi finished a thrilling third in race one at Brands Hatch, just 0.043secs behind Bayliss and a mere 0.18secs from winner Ryuichi Kiyonari. A slipping clutch and off-track excursion early in race two left Biaggi in 28th position, but he fought his way back up to twelfth by the chequered flag.

Bayliss now holds a commanding 82 point championship lead and looks certain to claim his third and final WSBK title. Team-mate Fabrizio is ninth in the standings with four rounds and 200 points still to be decided.

Ducati/Bridgestone test rider Niccolo Canepa is also considered a possibility for a factory WSBK race seat next season, but appears to be angling for a MotoGP ride with the Alice Ducati squad.