Strong Honda debut for Crutchlow

Cal Crutchlow finished the Qatar Grand Prix where he aimed to as the leading satellite rider. A qualifying crash left him down the grid in 12th and it meant that salvaging seventh place at the flag was about as much as he could have hoped for.

This season sees Crutchlow ride his third different bike in three years and learning the nuances of the Honda RC213v will take time. The bike is difficult to ride and you have to be aggressive on it to get the most from it. Learning how to maximise it will take time for Crutchlow but at times in Qatar his pace on the bike was hugely impressive.

“I gained the experience, which is what I wanted, and it was inexperience that left us in the position that we were in at the start,” said Crutchlow. “We were behind some guys we shouldn’t have been at the start, and that was only partly because of qualifying.”

After the race Crutchlow commented to MCN about how pleased he was with his pace in the second half of the race and that can only bode well for him in the coming rounds at Texas and Argentina.

“Our pace after the end was strong – I’d say our pace for the last ten laps was nearly as strong as third place. I rode well. I rode to the consistency of the bike, and to its strong points when the tyre dropped off. That’s the negative of the Honda; it has a lot less grip than the other bikes. That’s what the other Hondas were struggling with too, it’s as simple as that.”