CAL CRUTCHLOW JOINS YAMAHA AS OFFICIAL MOTOGP TEST RIDDER
Yamaha Motor Co. and Yamaha Motor Racing are thrilled to welcome Cal Crutchlow back to the Yamaha family. The popular MotoGP star will join the Yamaha Factory Racing Test Team program as an official MotoGP test rider for the 2021 season.
Yamaha Motor Co. and Yamaha Motor Racing are pleased to announce that Experienced and successful MotoGP rider Cal Crutchlow will strengthen the Yamaha Factory Racing Test Team for the 2021 season.
Starting with the MotoGP shakedown test, scheduled for Sepang, Malaysia, February 14-16, Crutchlow will ride the YZR-M1. He will also participate in official IRTA and other private Yamaha tests, with the aim of assisting Yamaha engineers in the MotoGP development program. Crutchlow has ten years of experience in MotoGP, having ridden for three different manufacturers, making him the ideal rider for the job.
A wild card appearance is possible if deemed beneficial to the testing program, and Crutchlow has also confirmed his availability to be selected as replacement driver in the unfortunate event that one of Yamaha's MotoGP riders is forced to miss a Grand Prix due to illness or injury.
Crutchlow and Yamaha have a long history. The Briton won the 2009 World Supersport Championship (WorldSSP) with Yamaha. He then moved up to the World Superbike Championship (WorldSBK) the following year and took ten podiums, including three victories, to finish fifth overall. This success allowed him to make his MotoGP debut in 2011 with Yamaha's satellite team at the time, Monster Energy Yamaha Tech3, where he gained experience during the first three years of his MotoGP career, which now lasts for ten years.
Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. And Yamaha Motor Racing would like to sincerely thank Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha Factory Racing 2020 test rider, for his availability, support and understanding during this year which was hampered by Covid-19. Although external circumstances have prevented this partnership from achieving its mutual goals for 2020, the respect between the two parties remains unchanged. Yamaha wishes Jorge all the best in his future endeavors.
Lynn Jarvis, Managing Director Yamaha Motor Racing: “First of all, I would like to say welcome back to Cal. I still remember Cal's first visit to YMR, many years ago, as a newly crowned Supersport World Champion, and I remember him expressing his desire to move to MotoGP in the future. After the initial move to Superbike, he then spent three seasons with us on the Monster Energy Yamaha Tech3 team, before gaining a further seven years of experience with two of our main competitors. This wealth of experience, coupled with Cal's honest and pragmatic approach, will certainly serve us well in our efforts to improve our YZR-M1 motorcycles through a comprehensive testing program next year. »
“Of course we had planned and hoped for a strong program this year with Jorge. Unfortunately, our factory testing team had to quickly put their plans on hold as the Covid-19 pandemic began and continued to influence 2020 from March onwards. It is regrettable that we were unable to successfully complete our testing program and achieve our goals. We wish Jorge all the best in his future endeavors and thank him for his many years of collaboration with Yamaha. »
