Petulant ex-Grand Prix star, Max Biaggi, has ended months of speculation by finally signing for Francis Batta's Corona Suzuki team for the 2007 season.
The 35 year-old Roman, now with a visibly fuller head of hair (?), will start test duties almost immediately in his readiness to prepare for an assault on the 2007 World Superbike Championship.
The deal is an odd one for a number of reasons, not least because it sees him compete against his long-term financial supporters JT1 (the Japanese owners of the Camel and Winston brands) and also because for a man who has continuously turned his nose up at the Flammini's series it's something of a u-turn in highly publicised opinion.
But Biaggi is no stranger to controversy. His behaviour in the highly political and highly financed World of MotoGP has gradually but comprehensively alienated him from all the top teams, leaving him little option but to step down a class.
Can a leopard change its spots? Will Biaggi be able to gel with a new team? Will he be able to keep his opinions of Pirelli control tyres' performance to himself and for the other riders in the WSB series, how big, exactly, will the target on Biaggi's back be?
We can hardly wait.
