Crutchlow MotoGP move timely
2011 MotoGP rookie Cal Crutchlow believes his two-year deal with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team is perfectly timed as it will allow the World Superbike star to get up to speed by the start of the new 1000cc era.
Next year will be the fifth and final season of racing with 800cc MotoGP bikes, which the Englishman intends to use as a learning year before engine-size switches to the same capacity as he currently uses in WSB.
"I've always said that going now is the perfect time to go, because I've got a year learning the circuits and a year learning the team and my MotoGP bike," explained Crutchlow. "And then, the second year, everyone's got to start learning again.
"So I'm already a step a little bit closer because they've got to start learning 1000s again, and the people who weren't on 1000s before have got to learn (from scratch).
"I think it's going to make it easier in the second year because everybody has got to learn."
Crutchlow, winner of two races for Yamaha in his rookie WSBK season and fifth in the championship with two rounds to go, will be the only British rider in MotoGP next year - the UK having been unrepresented on the 2010 grid.
The 2009 World Supersport champion - currently team-mate to Britain's last MotoGP rider, James Toseland, who left the series at the end of last year - admits there is 'big pressure' from the passionate UK fans to perform. And it's pressure he intends to live up to.
"There's always big pressure. I want to be the best British MotoGP rider there's been in recent times, because there'd be no point in going into it if I didn't want to be that," said Crutchlow, who is following in the footsteps of countryman Toseland and Neil Hodgson.
"And there'd be no point in me lining up on the grid if I didn't want to be the best. You go into a race to win. You go into a championship to do well. And if I had no ambition, then I'd be stupid to be even turning up to the race.
"So of course, the character of MotoGP riders of the UK haven't done so well and came back in World Superbike quite quickly or whatever. I think I want to stay in MotoGP and do well. And I feel that I've got the determination and the mental energy to do so.
"I think I got (to MotoGP) quite fast, so I've had the determination and ambition to do that, so there's no reason why I shouldn't have it to do well in MotoGP in the end."
Crutchlow will replace Ben Spies - his predecessor at the Sterilgarda Yamaha WSBK squad who is moving to the factory Yamaha MotoGP team after two podiums and one pole so far in 2010. Crutchlow believes the success of Spies shows WSB riders can make in MotoGP.
"Ben threw that theory (about WSB riders struggling in MotoGP) out the window and he's jumped in there as a Superbike rider for the last four or five years and done fantastically well," he said.
"I don't necessarily think it's about Superbike riders. I think it's about the riders that get on, if they can do it or not, and if they want to do it. And Ben's showing he's got the determination to do it, and he's doing a fantastic job.
"So I think if I can go in there with the same attitude he's got, then I'll go in there and do well as well. Hopefully, we'll do good in the first year," concluded the 25-year-old.
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Thanks Joe. Makes me laugh when everyone takes me so seriously. If you cant take it, dont dish it out i say ;) Lets hope Cal does well on the Tech 3 Yam, but in all honesty i think Spies will be on a mission next year and teach the big boys a lesson or two at a few circuits. I expect he will be the fourth alien. Its quite well known that im not a Rossi fan, but with him on an Italian machine, he's going to go for it big time. Pedrosa and Lorenzo dont exactly hit it off so the battles between them should be good now Dani has found form again. Ive got a bullseye on Spies winning a few races and i hope he or Lorenzo take the 2011 title. 2012 should be good with the new engine capacity coming in.
Why would Steven pretend to own £20000 worth of DB7 Volante??? its hardly something to aspire to is it?? and how do you know he hasnt got one??..
Why would Steven pretend to own £20000 worth of DB7 Volante??? its hardly something to aspire to or brag about is it?? and how do you know he hasnt got one??..He usually posts some interesting comments actually!!
lorenzo is waiting to win the championship and then he can ask whatever price he wants i reckon.hes as cunning as rossi.cal crutchlow can ride anything really quickly.stoner will be the one to watch though,an instantly fast rider on the most reliable bike there is.honda will not have to throw parts at stoner like they are doing for pedrosa.he is the only one who can ring the neck of the ducatti so he is definitely gonna be up there on a honda.why would anyone want to go to suzuki~??.good old loris capirossi is just turning up,practicing,qualifying badly,starting and then crashing.marco melandri belongs in wsbk,no doubt about it. P.S-any person who puts a picture of an aston martin as a profile picture and pretends to own one should be pitied.we pity you.you are the dunce at the back of the classroom who picks his nose and gives himself a nosebleed.the joke is very definitely on you.
@ steven, go spread your hate somewhere else, this is a site for racing fans.i think the fumes from polishing your so called "aston martin" has gotten to your head.
@ jpnolan, can stoner ride the honda? i remember him crashing alot on the rc211v. andrea is a waste of talent at honda. lorenzo has alot to prove next year, can he devolope the M1 like rossi did? pedrosa is only able to get results when the bike is "perfect" for him. hayden and rossi will devolpe the ducati into a race winning machine next year. ben spies is well just amazing, i hope yamaha doesn't do to him what honda did to hayden in 06 and favor lorenzo. can crutchlow ride the tech 3 machine remains to be seen.
i have a question? why hasn't lorenzo signed with yamaha? did suzuki offer him a big wad of cash to ride for them?
LOL @ jpnolan. Moans about people not commenting about racing, yet doesnt mention it himself hahahaha. Bless.....Have a Guinness :) In fact, ill have one too. Cheers.
More of a Dave Jeffries man meself... lol
you are correct carlos and being a true patriot is certainly no bad thing.good on you for sticking up for your country,you obviously got balls and I like that.stoner is gonna loose weight to mimic pedrosas movement on the bike and help that "leap" out of the corners that everyones talkin about.rossi is gonna be a genius as usual and adapt very quickly to the italians way of thinkin and he will tame that ducatti make no mistake about it.spies is goin to level the playing field and proove that the americans are great riders cos they can adapt too.cal crutchlow is in at the deep end and I have a feeling thats the way he likes it.the man can ride a bike and nobody goes from supersport to superbike to moto gp without knowing what they are doing.dovi is still half afraid of his own talent.lorenzo is close to gettin a god complex,haydens tired of playing second fiddle.its all up in the air and its just brilliant................but the dog in the street knows that the real RACING is taking place in moto 2, wsbk and supersport.anyone who has ever driven any kind of bike around a track in anger knows this.forget about the politics and all that other bullshit.raw talent is always more interesting to watch than the finished article cos wins are harder fought and crashes are more vicious.prototype bikes will always be just that,souped up street bikes bring it that much closer to the individual at home watching who goes out after a race and tears up the road cos he or she is pumped and wants to be that guy on the telly.I never wanted to be rossi,I always wanted to be joey dunlop. R.I.P.
jpnolan
you are right my friend, it has gotten out of topic. but you must understant that i will not let enyone offend my country. as i am sure you would do the same for yours.
anyway can't wait for next year! hope rossi can win on the DUC! and ben spies gets a few wins! maybe a tittle?
I cannot believe what I am reading.why are you guys talkin about nationalities and wars and who saved whos @#$% when ye should be talkin about motor bikes and rossi goin to the italians and stoner goin to the japanese and cal crutchlow havin a shot at a moto gp career.I am irish and the next @#$% who mentions the I.R.A or wwII or any other bullshit is gonna be told to @#$% right off in a hurry.GET A LIFE BITCHES.this is a discussion forum so if anybody wants to talk racing and riders and stats then I'm all ears.anything else is yesterdays news.I want to read opinions,not insults.
Sorry, didnt mean to spoil it. Forgot youre so far behind in time :( Its worth watching though, the supersports were awesome and had me on the edge of my seat. I hope Cal and Colin will get on, but Colin is a top bloke anyway so i would be surprised if they dont hit it off. Cal really needs colins experience and set up data. I agree the tech3 bike is quick (ben and colin have proved that already) and Cal does adapt well, but the big boys are seriously quick and he's going to have to up his game to hang on to them. I can understand why spies was taken straight to MotoGP, the guy is a genius on 2 wheels and will put a lot of big names to shame next year without breaking a sweat. (and while im writing a serious post, ill admit ive got fifty quid on him winning at least 5 rounds next year). I just hope for Cal's sake that he does well because he will be following in Bens footsteps and has to prove his worth. If he doesnt step up to the plate, we brits will in for more ball kicking hahahaha.
Steven I think Cal will be fine. He is on a better bike than most of the satellites, the Gresini and LCR seem the closest to their factory brother, but the Tech 3 is fast, if you push it hard. I feel that his rise has actually been more gradual than some of the other riders that have preceded him. He also seemed to have the ability to adapt to each bike as he has advanced. That adaptability should serve him well. He has a raw talent, just needs a bit of polishing. I hope that he and Colin can get along together, Colin will be a great aid to advancing his learning curve. The factory guys will also be available to help, should he need it. The SBK races aren't shown here for another 3 hours, but I will be tuned in.
bigheadbob thanks for the nice piece of fiction, as your posts reflect a limited education at best. But in cyberspace you can be whatever you dream to be, so dream big and be a PhD.
Steven you are truly consumed with hatred. I pity you and hope you seek some treatment for your condition.
Back to Cal...another rider from the UK.....another back marker....maybe it has something to do with riding on the wrong side of the road? And Stevie...you have a pretty big mouth too. Let's get back to racing!
wow,didnt realize how much you guys would fan my little fire.i would like to thank Ric, Steven, Carlos, Odd Thomas and the rest of the disturbingly nationalistic folks with too much time in their hands for helping me with my thesis. i wont bother explaining what happened but just know that you all participated in a very meaningful experiment. having said that, i could now go back to my cancer medicine research and also find the cure for homotitis.ooppss, did i just started another one?any takers? no? seriusly guys this is a good one. no?oh well at least we had a good run. so long suckers!!!!
@#$% this topic has gotten way off topic!
STEVENS you remind me a whinning little girl thats on her rag, arguing on a subject that you can't win. as we say in the USA put up or shut up, you guys don't have the stats to put up and you don't shut up. so instead you continually offend other countries and there sports. i am not going to offend you're county's sports, doing so would bring me down you your level and thats just demeaning to me and my country men. the record books don't lie and when it comes to motorcycle racing( the topic at hand) we have the upper hand.
i said it before and ill say it again, crutchlow is a great rider, he just doen't have the experience to compete at the level of motogp. one year in WSBK does not prepare you for motogp(unless your name is ben spies) cal is not putting up the same numbers ben did last year. or what JT did in previous years.leon would have been a better choice for tech 3.
The Brits would never have spoken German... have you not noticed how poor they are at picking up new languages? There's no way they'd have picked it up in only 65 years...
Steven if all you desire to do is spread hate and not discuss racing, please refrain from posting.
Michael F, Harley-Davidson motorcycles are classics and don't need to be on the technological cutting edge. Your comment is like someone knocking a Rolls-Royce for not being fuel efficient, just plain ignorance. The American "reasonably good racers", that you are referring to, have stood on the top step of the podium 132 times since one of your countrymen has. I bet Barry Sheene is rolling over in his grave due to Britain's complete inability to produce even a single race win, since he last won a race. Just pathetic.
Am i on the wrong page , i thought this was about Cal moving to moto gp ?
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