Cal Crutchlow returns! It's been in the air since Franco Morbidelli decided to take care of his knee and it's now official. The new Yamaha test rider and former LCR Honda rider has been chosen to compete with the Yamaha satellite team for the next three races in place of the runner-up world champion who has already received the green light from Petronas to negotiate his place as Quartararo's teammate within the official team in 2022...
A little over a month ago, Franco Morbidelli had to sit out due to pain in his left knee which led him to undergo surgery. At that time, Petronas Yamaha had discussed several options to replace him, ultimately choosing a Garrett gerloff WorldSBK for Assen. It was the second time he piloted a MotoGP .
This time it's Cal Crutchlow who is mobilized to compete in the next three races with the Yamaha petronas. The double meeting in Austria and the British Grand Prix will be on the Englishman's program.
« It's a bit like being thrown into the void, since it's a very competitive MotoGP category. " commented Crutchlow. " It’s great to race with Yamaha again this year as an official test rider and it’s good for all parties. I look forward to riding the Petronas Yamaha in all three Grands Prix. Obviously it's not in the best circumstances and I wish Franco a good recovery, I hope he comes back strong after knee surgery. I'm sure he will as he has driven fantastically over the last two years ».
« I think it's difficult to set goals for these three races and it will be more about understanding the bike, because I've only had a few days of riding this year. The good thing will be that I will be able to compare the bikes and I will be able to gather a lot of data for Yamaha. I'm really looking forward to it and it's going to be good to be back on the grid ».
« I'm looking forward to meeting the team in Austria, although there will be some familiar faces to me because Wilco Zeelenberg was my team principal in Supersport in 2009 and I actually raced against Johan Stigefelt a few years ago. years so it will be a pleasure to see them again ».
Cal Crutchlow mobilized to Silverstone. And Aragon?
For its part, Razlan Razali commented : " after studying all the options, it was a collective decision between Yamaha and us to ask Cal Crutchlow to replace Franco while he recovers from the operation. Cal is a credible and experienced rider, currently a Yamaha test rider. As an independent team, this is where we can really step up to help Yamaha. Cal will be able to accumulate good mileage on our M1, which will help him in his testing and development work for Yamaha »
« Cal will replace Franco for the next three races and we don't really have a target for him in terms of results. We will do everything we can to help him and make him feel comfortable in the team. He already knows some of the key people on the team, which helps, and I'm sure he's up to the challenge » concludes the Malaysian who had already predicted the return of Morbidely for Misano. But then who will be the Yamaha Petronas in Aragon which is between Silverstone et Misano ?
