ROSSI’S FORMER CREW CHIEF SAYS BIAGGI SHAPED HIS STYLE AND CAPIROSSI LEFT A LASTING MARK

Mauro Noccioli, who worked as crew chief with Max Biaggi, Valentino Rossi and Loris Capirossi, believes Biaggi’s influence on riding technique extended even to his fiercest rival. Rossi, he suggested, would be unlikely to acknowledge that connection.

Noccioli worked with Biaggi in 1991, when the Italian won the European 250cc title in his first season in the class. Biaggi went on to dominate the 250cc world championship, taking four consecutive titles from 1994 to 1997. He later finished second in the 500cc standings as a rookie in 1998. Noccioli also worked with Rossi in the European 125cc championship in 1995, before the young rider began a rapid rise through the Grand Prix ranks. Rossi won the 125cc title in 1997, the 250cc crown in 1999 and his first premier-class championship in 2001.

Speaking to Motosprint, Noccioli described the three riders as “completely different characters”. Biaggi, he said, was “the perfectionist, the most technical” and the rider who changed how others approached corners. Noccioli called Biaggi’s method the “wide-narrow” approach, adding: “He influenced everyone who came after. Valentino, too, although he would probably never admit it, is a product of that school.”

Rossi, in Noccioli’s view, stood out for his personality and ability to draw new audiences to motorcycle racing. “He was the eccentric, the one who was able to create a character and bring motorcycling to the attention of a much wider audience,” he said. Asked which of the three showed the most courage, Noccioli chose Capirossi: “Loris really put his heart into it, always.”

Noccioli’s partnership with Capirossi began after a difficult split from Rossi’s 125cc project. Although Noccioli had helped Rossi win the 1997 title with Aprilia, Rossi was set to work with Rossano Brazzi for his move to the 250cc class in 1998, leaving Noccioli without a role. Aprilia team manager Carlo Pernat then encouraged Capirossi to remain with the team and work with Noccioli. Capirossi had been considering retirement, but the partnership helped him rediscover his motivation and win the 1998 250cc championship, beating rookie Rossi by 23 points.

Noccioli said he accepted the offer to work with Capirossi “immediately, without thinking twice”. He added: “I had a bone to pick with that situation and wanted to prove something. But above all, I found Loris to be an extraordinary person. On a human level, it was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life.” He said the relationships and memories mattered even more than results. In a 2020 interview, he recalled that Capirossi had arrived feeling low and wanting to quit, and that he himself had initially been unconvinced before trusting Pernat’s judgement.

The suggestion that Rossi’s riding was shaped by Biaggi is striking given the hostility between the two Italians. Their feud began before they had become on-track rivals and became one of motorcycle racing’s most bitter personal rivalries. Biaggi recalled a confrontation at a restaurant in Suzuka in 1997, after Rossi had said he would prefer “one day with Rossi than a hundred with Biaggi”. Biaggi said he responded: “When you talk about me, first rinse your mouth!”

Looking back in 2023, Biaggi acknowledged that both men helped turn their dispute into a public spectacle. “For every action there is a reaction,” he said. “From then on, it was a bit of a circus, especially for you journalists, even though I admit we helped you a bit. Now, however, I think we were two idiots who waged war through the press instead of clarifying things in person, as we could have done.”

Their rivalry also produced major clashes on track. At the 2001 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, Biaggi forced Rossi off the circuit; Rossi still won the race. He went on to beat Biaggi to the 2001 500cc championship by 106 points, then finished ahead of him again in 2002, the first season of the MotoGP era, with a 140-point margin.