Cal Crutchlow vows not to ‘wreck’ Tech 3 team

Cal Crutchlow wants current crew chief Daniele Romagnoli to join him at Ducati in 2014 but insists he will not decimate his side of the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team when he leaves to join the Bologna factory.

The 27-year-old has penned a two-year deal with Ducati and key personnel from his current French-based Tech 3 squad have been linked with a switch to help him tame the struggling Desmosedici.

In an exclusive interview with MCN after his Ducati deal was confirmed last week, Crutchlow confirmed that he was interested in taking crew Romagnoli to Ducati.

The pair have struck up a close working relationship together having worked at Tech 3 throughout Crutchlow’s three-year stint on a satellite YZR-M1 machine.

Romagnoli, who previously managed Jorge Lorenzo in Yamaha’s official factory squad, is Italian and he could form a crucial link between Crutchlow and Ducati’s factory engineering group.

Crutchlow, who will be reunited with 2012 Tech 3 teammate Andrea Dovizioso at Ducati next season, said: “I will look at taking Romagnoli with me. But I will not in any way wreck Herve’s team. That is one thing that I am absolutely adamant about. If Herve can replace them or Pol (Espargaro) wants to bring somebody then fine but I don’t want to jeopardise any of Herve’s team. I want to take Romagnoli and in a perfect world I’d put my whole team in red but it doesn’t work like that.”

Poncharal told MCN that he would not stand in the way of any of Crutchlow’s squad if they could move with the Isle of Man-based rider to Ducati.

But his intention is to keep all of Crutchlow’s crew to work with Spanish rookie Espargaro, who is moving up to partner Bradley Smith from the Moto2 world championship.

When Smith moved into MotoGP, he inherited the entire crew that had previously worked with Colin Edwards and Andrea Dovizioso. Smith’s side of Tech 3 is spearheaded by vastly experienced crew chief Guy Coulon.

Poncharal said: “I want to keep the whole team. We kept all of Andrea’s crew for Bradley and it has worked really well and I’d like to do the same for Pol. The technical crew and their background is very important for a rookie and we have a lot of experience of working with Yamaha and the YZR-M1. But if somebody wants to leave they will be free to leave. Cal hasn’t asked for anything and nobody from his team has said anything. My plan is to keep everything as it is.”

The full and exclusive interview with Crutchlow on his Ducati move can be seen in today’s issue of Motor Cycle News.