Video: Hold tight and pray… MCN man’s Cal Crutchlow pillion ride

I have never done a track day or got my knee down and think the 47bhp made by my BMW G650GS is plenty. So I was the obvious choice in MCN’s office to stick on the back of a 180bhp superbike ridden by Britain’s only MotoGP racer on one of the fastest circuits in the sport’s calendar.

The idea is to promote Silverstone GP by terrifying some journalists, a plan to be executed to devastating effect by Cal Crutchlow on a Yamaha R1.

Crutchlow joined the world’s premier motorcycle race series this year with the Monster Tech3 Yamaha MotoGP team. He’s former World Supersport champion and last year came fifth in his debut World Superbike season. He’s a bit good. And Silverstone is his home circuit. 

When I was five, I went on the waltzer at the fair and cried so much it had to be stopped. I haven’t been on one since. Hopefully I’ve matured in the intervening 34 years and will have a more rational response to being pillion to one of the world’s fastest riders. But it’s not a given.

Find out whether I blubbed by reading my full report in MCN, on sale now.