From RacerX:
August 24, 2003
Pichon injured, out for remainder of season
The following post was taken from MXLarge.com:
World Champion Mickael Pichon is out of action for the rest of the season after a crash during warm-up for the German Grand Prix.
The factory Suzuki rider injured his left knee in a low-speed crash and is now on his way back to Paris, where he is expected to undergo surgery tomorrow.
It is safe to say that the 27-year-old will not be able to defend his title with the remaining two Grand Prix of the season, missing the Motocross of Nations in October as well.
“His left knee is a bit of a mess and we will not know the extent of the injury until after the operation tomorrow,” commented team manager Jens Johansson. “These things happen sometimes, but it is still shocking how quickly the season can be over. We just hope now that the surgery is a success and Mickael will recover quickly.”
Pichon was looking strong for his fourth win of the season this weekend after blasting to a pole position time two seconds ahead of his rival Stefan Everts. In a cruel twist of luck for the team, Gaildorf has been the venue where they have clinched the championship for the last two years consecutively.