A weekend to remember for the Aprilia Racing Team at the Nürburgring.

The “single-brand” podium in Race 1 was the result of the perfect performance that the mechanics and riders put in during all the sessions.

Pole man Max Biaggi got off to a brilliant start, staying locked onto Sykes in the first few laps. With a furious pace, the Corsair overtook the Brit, succeeding in creating a significant lead which he maintained all the way to the chequered flag. The podium was completed with Laverty and Davies' Aprilias, a first for the Italian brand. With Melandri's crash contributing to the situation, Max started the second race as leader in the rider standings.

In Race 2, after a good start, Max took a devastating slide into the stones, but he managed to keep his RSV4 running and rejoined the race with his bike visibly damaged, trailing his rivals from a distance (26 seconds) in dead last position. From that moment on Max Biaggi dug deep and gave it his best, breathing life into a race from times gone by and coming back with courage and skill place after place to finish in thirteenth, adding three precious points to his championship. This now places him 9.5 points in front of Melandri, the closest contender who had a DNF in Race 2 due to a crash.

Eugene Laverty also leaves the Nürburgring with a smile on his face. Two second places (in Race 1 behind his team mate and in Race 2 behind ParkinGO Aprilia rider Chaz Davies) mean that Eugene is now lying in a solid sixth place in the championship. The rider from Toomebridge demonstrated stability and speed, contributing to Aprilia taking the lead in the manufacturer rankings.

In the thick of the battle for the world championship

After the Superbike début in Russia, the factory derivatives head for the round at the Nürburgring, the historic name that brings to mind the undertakings achieved by great champions on the old Nordschleife track. For Max Biaggi this will be a decidedly particular round, both due to the Championship situation and because it was precisely on this German asphalt that the Corsair suffered an injury in 2011 which effected the rest of his season.

With three rounds left in the Championship, Max is in the thick of the battle for the final victory. The difficulties of Silverstone and Moscow reopened the top end of the championship standings, but they were unable to dampen the tenacity of the five time world champion. At the Nürburgring Max Biaggi wants to get back to battling for the win.

The Russian weekend ended with a crash, but Eugene Laverty garnered a good feeling in the races at Moscow Raceway. His sights ever set on the podium, the rider from Toomebridge seems to have reached a promising feeling with his RSV4 in the various conditions, and in Germany he will put forth his best effort to confirm this impression.