Rider: Randy De Puniet
Nationality: French
Team: LCR Honda
Machine: Honda RC212V (#14)
Born: February 14, 1981 in Maisons-Laffitte, France
De Puniet became a hometown hero when won the French 125 Championship in '97 and '98. From 2001-2005 he labored in the 250 class before making the leap to MotoGP in 2006.
The lone Frenchman in the MotoGP paddock, De Puniet was one of the stand-out crop of 2006 MotoGP rookies. The former 250 rider may have finished back in 16th overall, but he showed some flare in testing and qualifying, starting on the second row of the grid on more than one occasion. As the second-year rider continued his development in the premier class aboard the Kawasaki, the highlight of 2007 was a second-place podium in Japan.
During 2008 Randy impressed everybody during preseason testing and official practices, but his championship scores did reflect his potential. De Puniet has the notorious title of most crashed rider from the 2008 season, hitting the deck 22 times last year.
2009 marks Randy's fourth season in MotoGP, and his second aboard the Honda RCV bike. The power increase thanks to a new engine in the RC212V should put Randy in a better position during race meetings. The team should also attract a great deal of attention due to one of their new title sponsors - Playboy! It's actually Playboy.it, the Italian division of the media mogul. Some very provocative photos have already hit the Internet and the meaning of "umbrella girl" has just been taken to a whole new level.
Career Highlights:
2008 - 15th MotoGP (Honda)
2007 - 11th MotoGP (Kawasaki)
2006 - 16th MotoGP (Kawasaki)
2005 - 8th 250 MotoGP (Aprilia)
2004 - 3rd 250 MotoGP (Aprilia)
2003 - 4th 250 MotoGP (Aprilia)
2002 - 9th 250 MotoGP (Aprilia)
2001 - 13th 250 MotoGP (Aprilia)
2000 - 17th 125 MotoGP (Aprilia)
1999 - 18th 125 MotoGP (Aprilia)
1998 - 1st French National 125 (Honda)
1997 - 1st French National 125 (Honda)
