The decisions have now been made at Yamaha, which has cut off all relations with the man who was within its walls for four and a half years, Maverick Viñales. It now remains to fill the ranks, and as there is not a plethora of drivers available, it is the ones that the rumor was spreading that are confirmed. Thus, Cal Crutchlow will be a Yamaha official and Jake Dixon will arrive to replace Morbidelli. At least this is how Iwata's coat of arms will appear at Silverstone, for the next round of the calendar: the British Grand Prix.
Cal Crutchlow himself confirmed it: he will be the partner of fabio quartararo at Silverstone. “ It's a privilege to be part of the Yamaha factory when I was originally supposed to do three races for sepangracing. But plans have changed. I want to thank you and look forward to racing with the factory team “, declared the Englishman. The Briton will therefore make his debut in his home Grand Prix wearing the official team colors.
This decision frees up a handlebar in the team Petronas which will be provided by Jake dixon. The Briton will make his debut in MotoGP during the British Grand Prix next weekend (August 27-29), his home race, replacing the convalescent Franco Morbidelli. Dixon will ride the Yamaha M1 most recently used in the last two Grands Prix in Austria by Cal Crutchlow, while Morbidelli continues to recover from knee surgery carried out in June.
More than ever at Yamaha Quartararo is the only spearhead
« Lifetime goal has been to reach the MotoGP category. So to have the opportunity to do it for a GP this year, on the bike I always wanted, the Yamaha YZR-M1, and to do it at home is something really special,” said Dixon. “It's going to be very difficult, but I can't wait to jump on the big bike, even if it's different, because it's very exciting! I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking about it. It's a dream come true. I will give everything to do my best for the team and I want to say a big thank you to them for this opportunity. I also thank Yamaha for believing in me. I don't have any goals, I just want to enjoy it and gain all the experience I can. I just want to wish Franco a speedy recovery and that we can see him back on the track soon “, he commented.
Razlan Razaliermine: “ this is a unique opportunity for Jake to show what he can do and explore his potential on a Yamaha YZR-M1. We do not set particular objectives in terms of results; This is an opportunity to gain experience in his national GP, while Franco continues his recovery. This is a unique opportunity, and we wanted one of the riders in our family to have this chance on a MotoGP. As it is his home Grand Prix, it is a circuit that Jake knows well and it will be great for the British fans to have another driver in the premier class. We also thank Cal for his contribution to the team during the last two GPs and we wish him the best for next weekend ».
