Following his abrupt switch from Ducati to pastures new at LCR Honda for MotoGP 2015, Cal Crutchlow has been taken out of the Bologna factory’s development loop with the new engine upgrade at Indianapolis supplied only to Andreas Dovizioso and Iannone, the man who replace him in the works team.
Crutchlow signed an 11th hour deal to move into the satellite Honda squad which has amazed some paddock insiders as it is not often the third fastest rider in a poorly-performing outfit suddenly gets given, to what is in all intents and purposes, a factory RC213V. Crutchlow said he doesn’t expect to receive any new parts from now until the end of the season.
“Ducati are fully supporting me but as far as I am aware, they have their two factory riders for next year and we haven’t received the upgrade but I don’t expect to either. I get what I am given and I am happy with that,” said Crutchlow, speaking at Indianapolis.
Even though there was no new engine, Crutchlow managed to scrape an eighth-place finish after a race-ling battle with fellow Brit Scott Redding, which he won by less than a second.
“If someone would have offered me an eighth place at the start of the weekend I would have taken it but to be so far off the win is disappointing as always. After the two arm operations I had, we needed to get through the race,” said Crutchlow.
“It was difficult for the whole race, it is a physical and demanding circuit. I lost the race in the first ten laps and afterwards I could have held a decent pace but I made too many mistakes. You live and learn.
“When I had clear air in front, I was able to be competitive but when Scott was in front we were doing a 1’35.5 and when I was in front we were doing a 1’34.2 so it was one of them. He was riding really well in the corner, as he was expected to but I felt we had a little more in acceleration and in the braking areas.
“In the first five laps when the grip is good, I don’t have the confidence to push and then towards the end I had no real problem. I was quite impressed with the tyre this weekend as we ran the soft option when everyone else ran the hard which we can’t run. It lasted ten laps, then dropped but after 17 laps it stayed consistent.
“I’m yet to see anybody who is competitive on the soft. Even when Espargaro has run the soft, he hasn’t finished close to the winner, even when he has ridden really well. I don’t believe the soft tyre is an advantage.
“In the inital laps of practice, qualifying and the race I have been completely useless. Which the opposite to my whole career. I was always really strong at the start of the race and if there was a gap to the guys in front, I could bridge it no matter who it was. Now it is the opposite, I am way too slow at the start.”
