Crutchlow eyeing up Repsol Honda seat for 2017?

Cal Crutchlow may well be eyeing up a return to a factory seat for the 2017 season, with the Brit potentially one of the favourites to take over the possibly vacated seat of Dani Pedrosa for the coming two seasons.

With Pedrosa moving to Yamaha, Crutchlow would become one of the top names remaining to be signed up, and his experience with Honda as a manufacturer and his personal relationship with boss Livio Suppo likely to be beneficial to him.

Adding to his value to Honda is his riding style, which closely mirrors that of Marc Marquez’s and may well make him an ideal teammate for the double world champion at the Repsol team.

Already riding a machine more similar to that of Marquez’s than that of his teammate Pedrosa, Crutchlow has also been experimenting recently with Marquez’s settings in his own LCR Honda RCV213.

And with Maverick Viñales looking set to remain at Suzuki after contract negotiations with Yamaha fell through, the Repsol ride might well be Crutchlow’s only hopes of returning to a factory bike next season, with Aleix Espargaró looking likely to remain in the squad as well.

For the full story, see tomorrow Wednesday 4^th May’s Motorcycle News.