Alitalia Aprilia's Max Biaggi has had a go at defending the outrtageous top end of his RSV4 during World Superbike first qualifying at Monza yesterday, saying that no-one wins races on top speed alone.

The Roman Emperor was clocked at the business end of 207mph on the kilometre-plus back straight, calling into question the validity of the Aprilia's 'production bike' status.

“They say that we're strong in terms of top speed, but nobody in this sport has ever won races on straight stretches and since the bike is always an eternal compromise, we need to find a general balance," said Biaggi.

"Tyre wear will be a deciding factor in a race with such high averages and fast turns where the rubber will be under a lot of stress. We certainly can't make drastic changes to the bike, but we need to fine tune a few details and then choose the best solutions and maybe even single out which is the best of the two bikes we have available to us.

"Choosing tyres and set-up - that's the job that needs to be done, and it's no small thing I like this track. The feelings are positive, but we need to concentrate on these decisions.