On the Record Cal Crutchlow

ON THE RECORD CAL CRUTCHLOW

IGNITION

INTERVIEW

Yamaha Tech 3 MototGP rider

Matthew Miles

"VAMAHA SAID, `WE CAN'T LJARANTEE A FACTORY BIKE "

MY FIRST YEAR IN MOTOGP, I was

adamant I could ride the Yamaha like a Superbike. If I were on a Honda, maybe. But with the Yamaha, you really have to change your riding style. Ben Spies and Colin Edwards are more like Superbike style:

Stop the bike and accelerate out. But I learned fast that I had to change.

I LOOK LIKE I BRAKE LATE, but, actually, I brake early. Marc Marquez is the opposite. Really late on the brakes. Moving the bike around.

-> JORGE LORENZO DOESN’T BRAKE HARD. He

rides the bike just how it needs to be ridden, and then Yamaha bases everything around him. So, everyone else is trying to go toward his riding style. I’ve changed a lot, but to go that last step is really difficult.

-> THIS YEAR, I’VE BEEN A LOT STRONGER AT THE END OF THE RACE THAN AT THE START. That’s

a little bit to do with the specification of the bike; it’s about fuel, but it’s also about managing the tire. It’s just the first two laps where I lose everything. That’s an area in which I need to improve.

-> DO YOU REALLY THINK YAMAHA WOULD LET A SATELLITE GUY WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP? I don’t. I’m not suggesting Yamaha would say, “You can’t win.” But when was the last time a satellite guy won a championship? Or even a race?

-> WHEN I SAT DOWN WITH YAMAHA, they said, “We can’t guarantee a factory bike.” So, that’s why the decision was made to go with Ducati.

-> ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS THE SEAMLESS TRANSMISSION WILL BE GOOD FOR IS TIRE LIFE.

Plus, acceleration. That’s why we lose so much to the Hondas. But there was no guarantee I would get the transmission next year, either.

-> I’M NOT ANGRY WITH YAMAHA. They’ve been brilliant in my career. Maybe I’ll come back, but at the moment, there’s no room for me.

I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s not fair or unfair. It’s just the way it is. You have to be able to accept that, and I did. I’m really happy to try another project. EUM

CAL'S TWOWHEEL 411

Climbing the ladder

-> [rutchiow won the World Supersport title in 2009, riding a Yamaha YZF-R6. He moved to World Superbike the following year and to MotoGP in 2011, earning Rookie of the Year honors.

Hayden out, Crutchiow in

-> The 27-year-old Brit will replace the long-serving Kentucky Kid on the factory Ducati MotoGP bike in 2014, rejoinng us old Yamaha Tech 3 teammate, talian Andrea Dovizioso.

Specialized training

-> Like many pro fessional racers, Crutchlow is an avid cyclist. He spends the off-season and any other breaks in the year pedal ing in Southern California, often with three-time AMA Pro SuperBike Champion Josh Hayes.