The 2012 World Superbike Champion Max Biaggi has announced his retirement from motorcycle racing.

The 41 year old Roman was born Massimiliano Biaggi in the year 1971. Max began his Grand Prix career in 1991 and won four back-to-back 250cc titles from 1994-1997 riding an Aprilia RS250 in the first three years and a Honda NSR 250 in the fourth year. Biaggi made his 500cc debut next year and raced in the premier class till the end of 2005. He moved out of MotoGP at the end of 2005 and entered the World Superbike Championship in 2007 after a year long hiatus.

Biaggi won his first WSBK title in 2010 riding the Aprilia RSV4 for the Italian factory and won the title for the second time this year, riding for Aprilia again. Biaggi has had an illustrious career that spanned over two decades and has raced for Aprilia, Ducati, Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki during these years. However, he is most famous for his rivalry with nine times Motorcycle World Champion Valentino Rossi. By retiring as a champion, Biaggi has become one of the very few racers who have managed to end their careers on a high. Arrivederci Max!