Michele Pirro, winner of the final Moto2 race of the 2011 season in Valencia, has been chosen ride the San Carlo Honda Gresini CRT machine which sports a FTR chassis and Honda CBR 1000R engine.

Team owner Fausto Gresini and 25 year old Michele Pirro have come to an agreement to continue their partnership into the 2012 season. Pirro will take to the controls of the CRT bike with a FTR chassis and a Honda CBR1000R engine alongside Álvaro Bautista, who will ride a Honda RC213V.

Fausto Gresini:

"We think that for a new project like CRT, the right thing to do was give Michele Pirro an opportunity to further demonstrate his potential. In the final round of the Moto2 World Championship, he certified that he has the technical and competitive qualities and we believe that in this new category of CRT he can be one of the protagonists."


"His victory in Valencia was impressive and memorable; he provided us all enthusiasm and encouraged us to want to be a part of this fascinating adventure. Also, we have keep in mind that we are a Italian team, this is important for us, and the decision to do this project with Michele is also the result of this standpoint".


Michele Pirro:

"I’m happy to have made this decision and proud to join the San Carlo Honda Gresini team in this interesting new adventure. It wasn’t an easy decision to make because of the fact that initially I had wanted to try to improve on the 2011 results I had in Moto2, but the growing confidence that Fausto Gresini had for me at the end of the season left me with no doubt about the choice to take. I feel honored to continue to be a part of this fantastic group and to work together with them on this ambitious project that represents the future of MotoGP. I hope to return the confidence they have in me with results and technical contributions to this exciting team.

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