It's Pichon for Martin Hondas!
By TMX Archives on 21st May 09
MICKAEL Pichon has revealed on his home page that he has now finalised details with Martin Honda to race the factory CRF450R machines at Mallory Park, Ernee and Teutschenthal.
Honda Europe's Roger Harvey said in Spain last weekend that the chances stood at 70%, but clearly during the last few days all remaining obstacles have been satisfactorily resolved. Pichon will be able to race in gear from his own contracted suppliers.
The 32-year old from Le Mans, France, world 250cc champion in 2001 and 2002, raced for Martin Honda back in 2004/2005, scoring eight of his 37 career GP victories for the team as he battled head-to-head with Stefan Everts.
Mickael has continued to race in many different types of competition since he quit the GPs at the end of 2005, and his most recent GP win, an MX3 success last year, brought him level with Yves Demaria as the most successful French GP rider of all time.
Pichon admits that he does not expect to race for the victory, but who knows, and the mid-season calendar suits the enigmatic rider; his home GP at Ernee, the German GP at Teutschenthal, where he has won three times (2001, 2003 and 2005), and the British GP - "I never raced there, but it looks like a nice track."