The HRC itself sometimes seems to forget it, but it can really count on its English. Cal Crutchlow saw the end of his career looking at his ankle after his horrific crash at the Australian Grand Prix, but he is definitely there, Sepang, for the first tests of the year in MotoGP. Among the leading men yesterday, Wednesday, here he is again in the top 5 after completing 53 laps on the two RC213Vs made available to him.
The LCR driver therefore drove more than a Marc Marquez exhausted after 37 laps with a convalescent shoulder asking for mercy. It is therefore he who finds himself first in line in the development of the RC213V. And he recounts his day like this: “ she was positive and the team worked very well. We tried the 2019 bike all day. We had two in the box, which allowed us to make direct comparisons on a few points. I felt pretty comfortable throughout the day and we are delighted with what HRC has given us for testing ahead of this season ».
He specifies : " my physical condition is not too bad regarding my ankle. I have more pain at the end of the day and my ankle is swollen from the heat, but overall I felt good on the bike. I had a little accident at turn five, which was strange because I wasn't pushing. It was a first round of the pits. Fortunately, it's okay ».
He finishes : " We are looking forward to the last day tomorrow, where we will focus more on different settings. We will try to gather all the necessary information to be ready for the start of the season ».
MotoGP, Sepang J2 Tests: times
| 1 | 12 | Maverick Vinales | Yamaha M1 | 1:58.897 | ||
| 2 | 42 | Alex Rins | Suzuki GSX-RR | 1:59.424 | 0.527 | 0.527 |
| 3 | 43 | Jack Miller | Ducati GP19 | 1:59.517 | 0.620 | 0.093 |
| 4 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati GP19 | 1:59.562 | 0.665 | 0.045 |
| 5 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda RC213V | 1:59.566 | 0.669 | 0.004 |
| 6 | 46 | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha M1 | 1:59.625 | 0.728 | 0.059 |
| 7 | 53 | Tito Rabat | Ducati GP18 | 1:59.664 | 0.767 | 0.039 |
| 8 | 93 | Marc Márquez | Honda RC213V | 1:59.790 | 0.893 | 0.126 |
| 9 | 9 | Danilo Petrucci | Ducati GP19 | 1:59.845 | 0.948 | 0.055 |
| 10 | 30 | Takaaki Nakagami | Honda RC213V | 1:59.966 | 1.069 | 0.121 |
| 11 | 5 | Johann zarco | KTM RC16 | 1:59.973 | 1.076 | 0.007 |
| 12 | 63 | Francis Bagnaia | Ducati GP18 | 1:59.995 | 1.098 | 0.022 |
| 13 | 41 | Aleix Espargaró | Aprilia RS-GP | 2:00.101 | 1.204 | 0.106 |
| 14 | 20 | fabio quartararo | Yamaha M1 | 2:00.108 | 1.211 | 0.007 |
| 15 | 21 | Franco Morbidelli | Yamaha M1 | 2:00.151 | 1.254 | 0.043 |
| 16 | 6 | Stefan bradl | Honda RC213V | 2:00.230 | 1.333 | 0.079 |
| 17 | 44 | Pol Espargaro | KTM RC16 | 2:00.305 | 1.408 | 0.075 |
| 18 | 29 | Andrea Iannone | Aprilia RS-GP | 2:00.510 | 1.613 | 0.205 |
| 19 | 66 | Mika Kallio | KTM RC16 | 2:00.523 | 1.626 | 0.013 |
| 20 | 88 | Miguel Oliveira | KTM RC16 | 2:00.672 | 1.775 | 0.149 |
| 21 | 36 | Joan mir | Suzuki GSX-RR | 2:00.876 | 1.979 | 0.204 |
| 22 | 17 | Karel Abraham | Ducati GP18 | 2:01.245 | 2.348 | 0.369 |
| 23 | T1 | Nakasuga/Nozane | Yamaha M1 | 2:01.406 | 2.509 | 0.161 |
| 24 | 50 | Sylvain Guintoli | Suzuki GSX-RR | 2:01.654 | 2.757 | 0.248 |
| 25 | 55 | Hafiz Syahrin | KTM RC16 | 2:01.859 | 2.962 | 0.205 |
| 26 | T2 | Nakasuga/Nozane | Yamaha M1 | 2:02.989 | 4.092 | 1.130 |
| 27 | 85 | Takuya Tsuda | Suzuki GSX-RR | 2:03.276 | 4.379 | 0.287 |
