MXlarge interview - Christophe Martin French rider Christophe Martin finished as the 3rd rider in the Classification for the MX3 World Championship in the past season. It was the big success for Italian team Husqvarna, that was part of the MX3 World Championship for the first time. Together with Thomas Allier they missed the manufacturers Title or less than 100 points. This year they have bigger goals. Their strongest trumps will be Italian Alex Salvini and French Christophe Martin. After the 3rd position Martin has decided to go for his first MX3 Title. Q: How are you satisfied with your results and racing in Italian Championship? What do this results say about your preparations during the winter time? A: I am quite satisfied with my results. They are not great but I did finish my heats and this tells me I am ready for the MX3 World Championship. Physically I am prepared better than I was last year, I used to have pain during the last ten minutes of the races and I have worked out a lot to be also faster from the start of the race to end. Q: Which bike will you ride in the season 2009? A: This year my bike will still be the Husqvarna TC 450. My mechanic is Tony Ligny, the same as last year and he will take care of the frame part of my bike. For the engine and suspensions we have Husqvarna factory engine mechanics, while for suspension we have Walter Scaltritti, who is technical manager of the team. Q: What do you think you still have to improve before the first MX3 events? A: I think I still have to work on my physic and my technical, but most of all on the bike. I still have to fix some details to make sure my bike will be perfect. In this last month till the beginning of the season I will continue with my training schedule, planned with the team. Q: What are your goals and plans for 2009? A: My priority is the MX3 World Championship. I was competing also in the Italian Championship and I finished eighth. There are also some French Championship races at which I would like to take part, too. I will do some supercross at the end of the year. My goals are simple: I am the third MX3 rider from the last season. It is clear that this year I will do everything that I can to win the title. Q: Together with Alex Salvini Husqvarna will be strong team. Will you go for the manufacturer's title? A: The past year we lost the title for a bit. This year I have a teammate who comes from MX1 GP and has amazing racing skills. When I think about the two of us, I think we have all that we need to win the manufacturer title for Husqvarna. Q: Which is your favourite race track? A: My favorite race track is Talavera de La Reina in Spain. I am not very complicated rider; if it rains I am happy, if it is sunny and dry I feel the same way too. I like all weather conditions. Q: What are your biggest success in your career? A: I was Junior French Champion in 125 class, but the 3rd place in MX3 is definitely the best result above all. Read about it in MXLarge: http://www.mxlarge.com/detail.php?classtodisplay=homepage&idtodisplay=2131
Yep, you can also see a hint of gold at the top of the forks, probably means the black is just a coating or a wrap. The shock reservoir looks like the sachs , but the spring is red not black? The frame looks pretty good in black too.
