Pirro to ride the San Carlo Honda Gresini CRT bike in 2012

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 have decided that it feels right for a new project such as CRT to give Michele Pirro the opportunity to show his talent. He demonstrated in the closing stages of the 2011 Moto2 World Championship that he has the technical ability to improve further as a rider and we believe that he can be one of the leading CRT riders."

"His fantastic and truly unforgettable win at Valencia was emotional for all of us and it convinced us that he is worthy of this chance. We are also obviously an Italian team so it is also important to us to carry this new project forward with an Italian rider in Michele."

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.