The English Weekend Ends with a Half Smile for the Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team.

Aprilia Alitalia WSBK 2011 - Silverstone (UK) Races

Silverstone, July 31st, 2011 - The English away match for the Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team leaves only a "half smile", in spite of the comeback in Race 2. World champion Max Biaggi, forced to start from the third row after the unfortunate Superpole yesterday, had to deal with a contact which bent the brake lever, so much that he almost had to take his hand off the handlebar to brake. Despite this inconvenience, the Corsair did not let up and ended the race in eleventh place, earning 5 important points. An unfortunate race for Leon Camier as well, a key player in the race until 3 laps from the end when a technical problem forced him to slow down just as he was attacking Laverty's second position. With a fighting spirit the English rider gritted his teeth and rode the bike across the finish line in fifteenth place.

The start of Race 2 immediately showed good progress from Max, who also put the fastest lap of the race on the boards. The Corsair finished at the foot of the podium with a consistent pace, but the chase forced him to wear his tyres. The Roman rider squeezed the most out of his RSV4 anyway, crossing the line in fourth place, just ahead of his team mate, Leon Camier, who rode an excellent race.

**Max **sees the cup as half full: "Analysing the weekend and the first race, I can say that I'm satisfied with the fourth place in Race 2. It's a shame I had to start from the back. I stressed the tyres in order to catch up with the leading pack and that prevented me from being incisive at the end even though I really gave it my all, so much that I was able to get in front of my team mate who is quite fast here. Even in Race 1 I could have done better, but with the bent brake lever and the technical problem with the clutch I had little choice but to grit my teeth and pick up as many points as I could".

"I'm just obviously so disappointed and really sorry for all the fans out there that came to support us - **Leon **said - I really thought a podium or two was on the cards for definite. I felt really strong in the first race, made up a load of places and was starting to think about passing Laverty for 2nd when we had an issue with the bike. I kept going and I know the fans were cheering me on every time I went past so thank you to them! Second race, start went well but had no grip at the end. I couldn't hold my line and I was pushing and pushing to try and keep up but then I would make a mistake. So frustrating, especially at my home race, but that's how it goes sometimes."