Europe's fastest pit bike rider, Mike Valade, has joined the Bud Racing pit bike team for the 2007 and 2008 race season. Mike recently won the opening round of the French Minimoto SX Championship (Europe's biggest pit bike event) beating top US rider, Colt Humphrey.

Mike will ride a 'full options' Bud Racing pit bike. His first race is next week in Italy at the Italian SX Pit Bikes Championship. He will ride all of the European races to prepare for the the final round of the French Minimoto SX in Marseille, France at the end of the year. After that, he is off to the USA to compete in the Minimoto SX of Las Vegas in 2008.

Mike will give the Bud team additional exposure and assist with the further development of the Bud Pit Bikes and other Bud performance parts.

The Bud Racing Junior 85 Team ended round 1 of the French Junior MX Nationals with a perfect score. 1st Jordi Tixier (Bud KTM), 2nd Jason Clermont (Bud Honda), 3rd Melvin Regner (Bud Yamaha).

Former World Motocross Champion, Mickael Pichon will ride the French championship MX on a KTM 450. He will also ride the first MX3 GP in France. The rest of the season, he will ride Enduro classics races all around France. Bud has been working with Mickael over the winter on suspension development and both are very pleased with the results. For 2007, Mickael will ride with Bud's modified WP KTM suspension.

Bud Kawasaki team rider, 16 year old Marvin Musquin, has been crowned French Supercross lites champion after winning the final round of the French SX National Championship. Bud Kawasaki rider, Loic Rombaut finished third in the final round to secure fourth place overall.

Being crowned French supercross lites champion caps off a big year for Musquin who also finished 3rd in the 125 class at the FIM Junior World Cup.

As preparation for the 2007 European season, Musquin will now travel to the USA where he will contest the lites class in the opening 3 rounds of the AMA Supercross. When he returns, testing of the teams new 2007 KXF 250s will continue in readiness for the pre-World GP race in Valence, France. The teams new truck is currently under construction and will be ready for the teams presentation at Valence.

One Industries is to make the Bud Kawasaki Race Teams graphics for their KXF 250s. Replicas will be available for sale shortly.

And did we mention the Team's Bud Kawasaki shoes. Made by Globe, the shoes are available in sizes US 7 to 13.