| The Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) announced that | | | | season lightly, they want to come back strong and I'm |
| the Repsol Honda Team will continue its successful | | | | convinced they can help us take the fight to our rivals. |
| partnership with Michelin for the next season of | | | | It won't be easy, but Michelin is a great company," |
| MotoGP. Michelin and Honda have collaborated in the | | | | added Nicky Hayden of Repsol Honda. |
| esteemed motorcycle racing since 1982, during which | | | | After a tough 2007 MotoGP season, both Honda and |
| time they have won 14 riders world championships and | | | | Michelin are determined that this new agreement will |
| recorded 193 race wins. | | | | form the foundation of further success. The team will |
| The first race win of this longstanding alliance came in | | | | continue enhancing Honda racing parts and Michelin will |
| 1982 with Freddie Spencer at the Belgian Grand Prix | | | | stay as a reliable ally. |
| and the most recent was Dani Pedrosa's great victory | | | | Frederic Henry-Biabaud, the director of Michelin Group |
| at the Grand Prix of Valencia on Sunday. | | | | Motorsport Division, has this to say: "We at Michelin are |
| "I'm very satisfied with this deal with Michelin because | | | | honoured and proud to continue this very successful |
| they have a great deal of experience and technical | | | | partnership with Repsol Honda, with whom we have |
| skill and I'm confident they can supply us with | | | | won eight world championships since 1995. And we |
| race-winning tyres next year. The situation this year | | | | are committed to achieving victory in 2008 through |
| has been complicated for many reasons, and | | | | very close, intense and technological collaboration." |
| sometimes our performance has not been up to the | | | | "Honda believes MotoGP is an arena for supreme |
| level we expected," said Pedrosa. "Michelin has a long | | | | competition and also the place where ultimate |
| racing history with Honda and I believe this partnership | | | | collaboration between people and technology can be |
| can once again create the success we all want. I'm | | | | achieved. We believe we must have mutual respect in |
| happy to show that we have full confidence in Michelin | | | | this world of supremacy in order to retain our dignity |
| at this important time in MotoGP." | | | | and to succeed. This year the Repsol Honda Team |
| "I'm really happy to be joining up with Michelin again | | | | and Michelin have been defeated. So now we must |
| next year. They were a key part in achieving my | | | | strive to return to the winner's circle where we belong. |
| World Championship last year so they've got a really | | | | We believe next year is the year we will do this. We |
| special place in my heart. Honda has a long history | | | | are determined to fight back with all our might and |
| with Michelin and I think we can work hard this winter | | | | dignity in order to win back the title," concluded HRC |
| during testing and get back to winning ways in 2008. I | | | | President Masumi Hamane. |
| know they're not going to take the events of this | | | | |