Biaggi confirms availability for Desmosedici testing

Max Biaggi, the experienced former MotoGP star who is currently competing for Ducati in the superbikes championship, has revealed that he recently confirmed his willingness and availability to the Italian factory should they require him to test their current MotoGP prototype.

`What I can say is that they have asked me to be available to do this test and I have told them that I will be,´ the Italian rider told motogp.com, before stating that a date is likely to be set for Mugello in May.

Livio Suppo, Ducati Marlboro´s MotoGP Project Director, recently acknowledged that Biaggi and Troy Bayliss, who also rides a Ducati superbike in the production series, had both been put on standby to test the Desmosedici GP8 – with both having experience of premier class MotoGP riding.

The objective of any such move will be to help with further improvements to the Italian 800cc prototype which factory rider Marco Melandri and satellite Ducati pair Sylvain Guintoli and Toni Elias are struggling to get results on at present. Not one of that threesome has yet scored a top ten result in 2008 since moving onto Ducati machinery over the winter.

Biaggi, a four-time former 250cc World Champion who left MotoGP in 2005, explained the current situation saying, `My priority is the championship I am competing in, but they have asked if I´d be able to give my opinion on the GP8 in order the find a way of improving it. I have responded positively but that is all so far, talking about it too much is not worth it at the moment.´

Meanwhile, the 36 year-old, who was runner-up in the premier class World Championship on three occasions, said of the current MotoGP battle, `It´s a competition in which your technical choices are absolutely crucial and sometimes they help you, but sometimes they don´t.´

When asked who is his favourite rider on the present MotoGP grid Biaggi named the sensational Fiat Yamaha rookie Jorge Lorenzo – the young Spaniard who coincidentally counts Biaggi as one of his inspirations.