The irrepressible trio that is Pascal Picotte, ex-racer and current team owner, Miguel Duhamel, five-time winner of the Daytona 200, and Alan Labrosse, Miguel's longtime manager, has put together a team in order to register Miguel in the Bike Week's cult event.

Miguel Duhamel

In addition to investing in the project, the team will benefit from the support of Pat Chambers, owner of Blackfoot Suzuki, and Suzuki Canada. Despite as yet limited means, the team will head to Daytona in two weeks time with the firm intention of stealing the victory from factory and semi-private teams during the most well-known and important race of the American season. The trio is expecting to receive additional support from big sponsors, and we'll keep you abreast of the latest developments there.

Their motivation is impressive. Pascal Picotte is trying not to get too carried away: "The idea is nuts, we've got to prepare a race GSX-R600 and a spare in two weeks based on information gathered from less advanced classes (Sport Bike 600 in Canada) than those run at Daytona, prepare the equipment needed to change tires and refuel in under 10 seconds, find the right wheels, fine-tune the bike during the practice heats - and the list goes on. But the bang will be worth the buck, and Picotte Performance has already had some good results at the 200. And I have to admit, the idea of showing off our and Miguel's talent is irresistible."

Paul Fournier, mechanic and head preparer, doesn't know where to start. "Preparing a machine for Miguel is an ego trip for the whole team, but the next two weeks will feel more like hell than heaven. We'll just have to power through."

Miguel will hit the track on March 4 for his first test runs; the race is scheduled for the evening of Friday, March 6.

You can count on Moto123.com to keep you up-to-speed on the adventures of Miguel & Co. down in sunny Florida!