It was an outstanding weekend of action at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, with a crowd of around 115,000 people there to see a remarkable double win for Max Biaggi and his Aprilia Alitalia team.

The back-to-back victories rocketed Biaggi up to within three points of championship leader Leon Haslam (Alstare Suzuki). Biaggi made some radical changes to his rear suspension after his race one win and eventually ran out the clear winner of race two. This was Biaggi’s second double of the year, the first coming in Portimao.

Race One

Biaggi scored the race one win with a well-judged front running ride, albeit with several riders for company through all 18 laps. He kept his pace and consistency on his vee four machine to lead Yamaha Sterilgarda duo James Toseland and Cal Crutchlow across the line, finishing 0.247 seconds ahead of Toseland.

Haslam was only 0.958 seconds behind Biaggi, in fourth, with Leon Camier, Biaggi’s team-mate, fifth. Ruben Xaus (BMW) was sixth, Michel Fabrizio seventh for Ducati Xerox. Australian Troy Corser (BMW) went eighth and Tom Sykes ninth on his Kawasaki Racing Team machine.

Race Two

Biaggi took his second win of the day in fine style after closest challenger Crutchlow suffered an oil leak and crashed. Biaggi eventually took a clear win, by 4.5 seconds from Haslam, and it was an important one, that sends the WSB paddock to Kyalami confident of more close action between this year’s two most consistently fast riders.

Haslam now has 181 points to Biaggi’s 178 as he struggled with a sore wrist from a couple of hairy moments in the second race.

Third place for Corser was a historic first podium for BMW in WSB racing, in only the second season of full-on competition for the S 1000RR in the production-based series.

Corser is now seventh in the championship. Camier was a lonely fourth for Aprilia in race two and an aggressive fifth from Kawasaki rider Sykes rounded out a day of new high points for many riders and teams. Toseland was taken to hospital to have a CT scan after suffering concussion in a high-speed crash, with Jonathan Rea spraining his ankle and Xaus escaping the turn one collision without injury.

In contrast to Biaggi’s great day some leading lights suffered in the final analysis, with Carlos Checa 14th and 11th in the races, as he ties for fourth place on 110 points with Rea, who did not score points. Toseland is fifth on 106, Japan’s Noriyuki Haga sixth on 100.

“It’s an unbelievable result,” said Biaggi afterwards. “It looks like we are achieving our goal. Here there is also the President of our group and it’s been a great weekend for everyone.”

Leon Haslam responded: “We had a few big moments in that race and I’m nursing my wrist because one of them sent me off the back of the bike when I was with Max and Cal at the time. This weekend’s been tough, we’ve been a little bit down on speed, which is unlike the Suzuki, but the boys have worked fantastic. To get on the podium here in Monza is always special so I’m really happy for that. The battle for the title is definitely closing in, we knew Max was going to be strong here, but hopefully we can get back to our winning ways because each race is getting tougher and tougher.”

World Superbikes – Monza Race One Result

1 – Max Biaggi – Aprilia Alitalia Racing – 31’07.044

2 – James Toseland – Yamaha Sterilgarda Team – 31’07.291

3 – Cal Crutchlow – Yamaha Sterilgarda Team – 31’07.341

4 – Leon Haslam – Team Suzuki Alstare – 31’08.002

5 – Leon Camier – Aprilia Alitalia Racing – 31’11.537

6 – Ruben Xaus – BMW Motorrad Motorsport – 31’14.387

7 – Michel Fabrizio – Ducati Xerox Team – 31’14.413

8 – Troy Corser – BMW Motorrad Motorsport – 31’16.388

9 – Tom Sykes – Kawasaki Racing Team – 31’22.382

10 – Sylvain Guintoli – Team Suzuki Alstare – 31’23.805

11 – Noriyuki Haga – Ducati Xerox Team – 31’23.965

12 – Max Neukirchner – HANNspree Ten Kate Honda – 31’29.275

13 – Shane Byrne – Althea Racing – 31’29.646

14 – Carlos Checa – Althea Racing – 31’29.786

15 – Jakub Smrz – Team PATA B&G Racing – 31’33.310

16 – Luca Scassa – Supersonic Racing Team – 31’33.459

17 – Lorenzo Lanzi – DFX Corse – 31’34.012

18 – Chris Vermeulen – Kawasaki Racing Team – 31’44.008

19 – Roger Lee Hayden – Team Pedercini – 31’58.690

20 – Broc Parkes – ECHO CRS Honda – 31’30.665

Not Classified

RT – Daisaku Sakai – Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team – 16’03.703

RT – Jonathan Rea – HANNspree Ten Kate Honda – 13’51.282

RT – Vittorio Iannuzzo – S.C.I. Honda Garvie Image – 2’41.686

EX – Matteo Baiocco – Team Pedercini – 14’28.272

World Superbikes – Monza Race Two Result

1 – Max Biaggi – Aprilia Alitalia Racing – 31’07.122

2 – Leon Haslam – Team Suzuki Alstare – 31’11.669

3 – Troy Corser – BMW Motorrad Motorsport – 31’12.591

4 – Leon Camier – Aprilia Alitalia Racing – 31’17.389

5 – Tom Sykes – Kawasaki Racing Team – 31’22.683

6 – Noriyuki Haga – Ducati Xerox Team – 31’22.938

7 – Sylvain Guintoli – Team Suzuki Alstare – 31’22.983

8 – Jakub Smrz – Team PATA B&G Racing – 31’28.099

9 – Shane Byrne – Althea Racing – 31’29.042

10 – Luca Scassa – Supersonic Racing Team – 31’29.096

11 – Carlos Checa – Althea Racing – 31’34.274

12 – Max Neukirchner – HANNspree Ten Kate Honda – 31’36.437

13 – Chris Vermeulen – Kawasaki Racing Team – 31’37.980

14 – Roger Lee Hayden – Team Pedercini – 31’54.282

15 – Broc Parkes – ECHO CRS Honda – 31’55.946

Not Classified

RT – Cal Crutchlow – Yamaha Sterilgarda Team – 20’44.030

RT – Matteo Baiocco – Team Pedercini – 17’56.434

RT – Lorenzo Lanzi – DFX Corse – 16’26.502

RT – Vittorio Iannuzzo – S.C.I. Honda Garvie Image – 10’50.552

RT – Michel Fabrizio – Ducati Xerox Team – 1’48.269

RT – James Toseland – Yamaha Sterilgarda Team

RT – Ruben Xaus – BMW Motorrad Motorsport

RT – Jonathan Rea – HANNspree Ten Kate Honda

Championship points after five rounds:

1 – L. Haslam – 181

2 – M. Biaggi – 178

3 – J. Rea – 110

4 – C. Checa – 110

5 – J. Toseland – 106

6 – N. Haga – 100

7 – T. Corser – 92

8 – L. Camier – 72

9 – S. Guintoli – 70

10 – C. Crutchlow – 65

11 – M. Fabrizio – 62

12 – S. Byrne – 58

13 – J. Smrz – 47

14 – T. Sykes – 35

15 – R. Xaus – 35

16 – L. Lanzi – 26

17 – M. Neukirchner – 23

18 – L. Scassa – 16

19 – C. Vermeulen – 5

20 – A. Pitt – 3