Mickael Pichon starts his 28th season!
Even though Mickael Pichon (34) has stopped competing in GPs for a number of seasons, he still remains quite active. In a kind of free role, he has combined motocross, enduro, beach racing, supermoto and even speed (24 Hours of Le Mans) in recent years. All this despite the intensive guidance of his son Zach! 'la Rocket' will be back in action next season, for its 28th season!
We will first see you in action between the Bercy Legends on November 19, 20 and 21?
Mickael Pichon: “Certainly, I'm looking forward to that. The organizer of Bercy Xavier Adouard came up with a great idea: a kind of reunion with all the French SX toppers of the nineties. It's not really a competition but more of a demonstration with me, David Vuillemin, Tortelli, Yves Demaria, Mickael Maschio, Fréderic Vialle, Daniel Obelisco, Thierry Bethys, Yann Guedard. The riders who cannot participate, such as Vimond, Bayle and Roncada, will also be present.”
Have you thought about hanging up your helmet for good?
Mickael Pichon: “The combination between my own competitions and Zachary's program is always becoming more difficult. Together we drove 37 weekends, which is good for about 45.000 km in terms of travel! At the end of the season I was completely exhausted, both physically and mentally. I have to admit that it is a stressful activity to see your son working on the sidelines. That is why I have taken my time to think about my sporting future. But most of my partners encouraged me to go further. That convinced me to tackle a season with a 10-race program for Honda France.”
What does your program look like?
Mickael Pichon: “My priority is the Enduro of Le Touquet and the beach race of Grayan as preparation. In addition, I will again ride a few rounds of the French Elite MX Championship. Personally, I think it is very positive that the French championship will from now on be held over one day instead of two days.”
How is your son?
Mickael Pichon: “Good, he is now nine and has driven his first season in the Minivert. There he finished tenth, which is a good result for a first season. Moreover, he even stood on the podium in his last race! I'm sure he will do much better in 2011! Fortunately, I can also count on my help to prepare Zach's motorcycle or to guide him if I can't go myself.”
That sounds promising, but will you also guide a GP rider?
Mickael Pichon: “The other big news is indeed my collaboration with Nicolas Aubin. A partner on his team suggested I coach him and the idea seemed interesting. Nicolas is far from using his full potential at the moment. I really appreciate Nicolas as a person and I am extremely motivated to help him. We will ride together during the off-season and I will accompany him during the first races of his program. This assignment is a partnership with Aubin himself, so I do not work for his team, HDI-KTM. ”
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