No factory bike at Tech 3 for Cal Crutchlow

Yamaha won’t offer Cal Crutchlow full factory support if he remains with its satellite Tech 3 squad in 2013.

The British rider has told Tech 3 boss Herve Poncharal that the perfect scenario for his future would be to remain with the French-based satellite squad, but receive a full factory spec YZR-M1.

For that to happen though would necessitate a major shift in policy for Yamaha, which has always given priority treatment to its two official factory riders.

Factory support for a satellite team rider is a concept employed previously by Honda for Sete Gibernau and the late Marco Simoncelli when both rode for Fausto Gresini’s squad.

But Yamaha boss Lin Jarvis said recently Yamaha’s strategy wouldn’t change and Tech 3 boss Poncharal told MCN: “I spoke with Cal recently and asked him if he would like to go to the factory team.

“He said at the moment what he would love to do is stay with Tech 3 because he is really happy but ideally have a factory spec bike. I don’t think that is going to happen.

“Yamaha have always said, and I completely understand, that the factory team is their priority in terms of development and when they can they give us the evolution material.

“But they don’t want to be linked by a written contract where they have to give everything at the same time. So far this has been Yamaha’s philosophy and I understand that.”

Crutchlow is currently weighing up his future options with Ducati offering him a two-year deal to move to its factory squad.

He plans further talks with senior Yamaha management in Assen next weekend to see whether he is a serious contender to replace Ben Spies on a factory YZR-M1 next to Jorge Lorenzo.