Cal Crutchlow impresses on Yamaha 1000cc debut

Cal Crutchlow made an impressive start to the new 1000cc MotoGP era in Valencia this week when he ended a two-day test session at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in fourth place.

The British rider finished less than 0.2s behind factory Yamaha rider Ben Spies with a best time of 1.32.550 as he quickly got to grips with the new YZR-M1 machine.

The 26-year-old, who claimed a career best fourth place in Sunday’s rain-hit Valencia race, slashed 1.1s off his time on the second day to finish 0.743s behind Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa, who led the timesheets.

Crutchlow told MCN: “I’m pleased with the way the first test went because I’ve been wondering what these 1000cc bikes would feel like. There is obviously a lot more power and on a tight track like Valencia you don’t really get to feel the true potential of the engine, but it seems smooth and manageable, so Yamaha have done a good job. The 1000 still feels very similar to the 800 but there are things the new bike does that make it suit my riding style more. Corner entry is still really important on the 1000 but not as much as the 800 and that was an area I found quite difficult last season.”

Crutchlow though agreed with new team-mate Andrea Dovizioso that Yamaha needs to work on improving its chassis for when testing resumes at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia on January 31.

The former World Supersport champion added: “We still have a lot to find with the bike. Yamaha has managed to keep the good points of the 800 but some of the issues we had with the old bike remain. There is a lot of movement on the edge of the tyre exiting the corner, but Andrea and Ben have got exactly the same comments, so Yamaha understands they have to work in this area. But to finish the test in fourth is really positive and I’m already looking forward to seeing what improvements we have for the next test in Sepang.”