Franco Battaini - 2005 Rider Profile

Fanatical about physical preparation, Franco Battaini is probably the most complete athlete on the Grand Prix circuit, a claim sufficiently supported by his excellent performances betweenn races in triathlon competitions. A latecomer to motorcycle racing, the Italian made his first track appearance at the age of 21 but it wasn't long before his natural talent shone through.

In 1994 he was runner-up in the Italian Sport Production 125 series and lifted the Suzuki 250 Trophy after five race wins. He was ridden a Grand Prix bike ever since, arriving on the world scene in 1997 on a Yamaha 250 and moving to Aprilia in 1999. Bataini became a regular top ten fixture and clinched four Best Privateer trophies, taking sixth in the championship in 2002 and 2003, before completing his final 250 campaign last year. In 2005, he will step up to the MotoGP class riding the new V6 Blata-WCM.