Cal Crutchlow worried by slow Ducati pace

Cal Crutchlow says he is not worried that his nightmare experience at Ducati will have an impact on his switch to the LCR Honda squad in 2015.

Misano MotoGP winner Valentino Rossi spent most of his first season back at Yamaha last year trying to rediscover the confidence and form that completely deserted him during a disastrous two-year stint on Ducati’s Desmosedici in 2011 and ’12.

Crutchlow is ending his tough Ducati spell halfway through a two-year deal after securing a move to Lucio Cecchinello’s LCR squad Honda on a factory RC213V.
But he is not concerned that he will find it hard to adjust to the RC213V, having scored just five top 10 finishes in 12 appearances on the Desmosedici this year.

Crutchlow’s greater concern at the moment is why he is so slow compared to Italian Ducati duo Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone.

Dovizioso has battled for the podium in the last two races in Silverstone and Misano and been consistently a second or more a lap faster than Crutchlow.

The former World Supersport champion said: “I am worried that I am slow because I am too far away from my teammate. And you wonder why and worry why because even though Dovi was slow last year he was still close to his teammate. I know you don’t forget how to ride overnight. Look at Valentino. He has come back strong and started to win races. Things do go through your head about why you are not fast enough but I’ve been here before. In 2011 I was probably in a worse place than this and then in the first race of 2012 I was fourth.”