Cal Crutchlow capped his incredible MotoGP season by taking a second victory of the year at the Michelin® Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, beating Valentino Rossi by over four seconds at a sunny but chilly Phillip Island circuit in Victoria.

The LCR Honda man started the race from second position on the grid, and took a gamble by deciding to fit the hard option front tyre to his factory Honda RC213V. With the race taking place at 4pm local time, temperatures were dropping rapidly and there was concern about his choice when world champion Marc Marquez crashed out in front of him on the same rubber.

However, Crutchlow managed his tyre to perfection, pulling away from the rest of the field to lead by over six seconds at one point. He was then able to manage the gap in the latter stages of the race to become the first ever Briton to take victory in an Australian GP. He is also the first Brit to take more than one win in a MotoGP season since Barry Sheene in 1979, 25 points which cement his stranglehold on top Independent Team rider in the championship.

With wife Lucy and baby daughter Willow currently on their way to Malaysia for the penultimate round of the world championship, it will be a joyous family reunion as the paddock moves on to the Sepang International Circuit next weekend.

#35 Cal Crutchlow – 1^st

“I was terrified when Marc crashed out in front of me, I braked really weakly into that corner for the whole race. I knew it was critical, because I crashed there from second a couple of years ago when I had a ten-second gap behind me, so I was quite scared to be honest. With that in mind, I also knew I had to keep pushing because otherwise I would lose heat in the front tyre.”

“I was actually quite confident that I could have caught Marc today, but once he crashed I just carried on at the same pace and then the last ten laps or so I didn’t really push, I just made sure I kept heat in the front. I actually pushed more on the laps when the sun wasn’t out, because when it was I could be a little more relaxed. It might sound strange, but this is Phillip Island and anything can happen.”

“I’m really pleased for the LCR Honda Team, they have done a great job this weekend. I was confident I could have won even with Marquez in the race, but Honda have done a really good job with our bike, there’s no doubt about that. We can now look forward to the last two races, and then see what happens for next year.”

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LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow completed a fine weekend’s work by coming home in fifth place at Sunday’s Grand Prix of Japan at the Twin Ring in Motegi. On the day that fellow Honda rider Marc Marquez clinched the world championship, Crutchlow overcame a slight error in the middle of the race to produce another solid showing which reinforces his position as the Best Independent Team rider of the standing (7^th overall with 116 points).

Having started from fifth place on the grid, the Briton was always looking to try and come on strong in the second half of the race. His plans were disrupted when he went off track near the halfway point, but he managed to keep his bike upright and return to the race. The incident ruined his hopes of challenging for a podium spot but the Brit was quite satisfied with the final result. Now Cal and his squad will move to Australia for the sixteenth round of the calendar at the spectacular Phillip Island circuit.

Cal Crutchlow #35 (5^th – +15.049)

“Today was a good finishing position for me and the team, but I made a mistake in the middle of the race. I ran the hard front tyre, which I believe was the correct choice, but it was really difficult to go fast at the start of the race. So I waited and looked to do a good job towards the end, which was always going to be the plan.

“I believe I could have done that, but I ran off the track which complicated things for me. I lost eight or nine seconds on that lap. It was my own fault, but I managed to stay on the bike as I went through the gravel, which was the main thing. We still managed to finish in a strong position, but evidently we are a bit disappointed as we could have battled for the podium today.

“The Team did a great job, though, and another top-five result is important for the second half of the season.”

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The LCR Honda Team celebrated another positive result in Sunday’s Grand Prix of Aragon, as Cal Crutchlow took a hard-fought fifth place to finish as the Top Independent Team rider for the fifth time in the last six races.

Crutchlow, who started from fifth on the grid was caught up in the pack at the start, his decision to take the inside line into the first corner pushing him out to the edge of the track into turn two. Having briefly lost touch as he waited for his tyres to come up to temperature, he gradually chipped away at the riders in front, passing Dovizioso on lap nine, before getting through on Aleix Espargaro two laps later.

The Brit then stalked his factory Honda colleague Dani Pedrosa, before comfortably getting through on the Spaniard on lap nineteen to seal his fourth top-five finish in the last six races.

That result moves him up to sixth place in the standings where he is the top independent runner on 105 points. There are four rounds still to come in the championship, starting with the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi in three weeks’ time.

#35 Cal Crutchlow – 5^th

“I struggled at the start to get the rear tyre to work. This has been a problem over the weekend, some hard tyres work immediately, and others not. Then I got held up behind Dani, Dovi and Aleix, and with the speed of our bike we had no chance. I tried to be able to fight with them in the early laps and get past, but Dani was just accelerating off the corner a little better than me and I never got the run on him. I had to leave it too long to pass and in the end I felt my pace was as good as the second to fourth-placed guys, but it was a little bit too late.”

“The LCR Honda Team did a really good job all weekend I really thought yesterday I could have been on the front row and then I made the mistake. Then today I felt I had a good shot at the podium, but I just never got away with them. In MotoGP when that happens you get punished, it’s hard to come back from a long way back.”

“It was an enjoyable race though, and overall we are happy because top five in a MotoGP race at Aragon is not bad, but I would have preferred a podium!”

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Cal Crutchlow eventually finished the San Marino and Rimini Riviera Grand Prix in eighth place and top independent team rider after a hard fought battle under the searing Italian sun.

After starting from the third row of the grid in seventh, the LCR Honda rider had spent much of the race in the same position whilst scrapping with the factory Ducati of Michele Pirro. Having lost out to the Italian right at the end of the race, Crutchlow was initially dealt a blow when he was given a 1.5 second penalty, which would relegate him to ninth.

This decision came after the FIM MotoGP Stewards saw that the Briton, who was suffering with visor problems, had transgressed the bounds of the track at turn one on five occasions. Having gained an advantage in the first sector on three of those laps, the subsequent penalty was applied and the results were revised, demoting him to ninth.

Subsequently, Dorna Timekeeping advised the Stewards of differences in the sector times which were not evident at the time the penalty was made. The Stewards requested on-board data from the LCR Honda Team for further analysis, and upon studying this extra data as well as video evidence it was discovered that Crutchlow had deliberately slowed through the second sector of the track in order to give back the time gained. As a result, it was decided that the initial penalty would be revoked, and Cal would be reinstated back to eighth place.

With another eight points added to his account, the British rider remains in eighth place in the MotoGP World Championship, and is still the top independent team rider in the standings.

The next round of the championship sees the LCR Honda Team travel to north-eastern Spain for the Grand Prix of Aragon which takes place on the weekend of September 23-25.

#35 Cal Crutchlow – 8th

“Today I think I did the best job possible and we worked well together as a team all weekend to be competitive. In the race I had some problems with the visor in my helmet because drips of sweat got onto it on about lap eight and it affected my vision for the last 20 laps. There was also a bit of a struggle with the front tyre which was really difficult to ride with here and didn’t suit the setting or my style. I gave my best as always and could easily have been a different result if things had gone for us.”

“I ran off the track five times into turn one due to the visor problem, and gained an advantage three laps out of the five. Then I deliberately gave the time back in the second sector, actually even more than I gained. After the race we got the penalty, which was then overturned once we provided Race Direction with the data and the sector times to clarify that I deliberately gave the time back on each occasion.”

“We’re not so happy with the result, but I think it was good to finish the race and get some more miles under our belts and now we look forward to going strong in Aragon.” 

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Cal Crutchlow was peerless in the treacherous conditions at the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic, as he took his and the LCR Honda Team’s first-ever victory in the MotoGP class. In doing so, he became the first British rider in 35 years to seal a premier class win – ever since Barry Sheene ran out victorious in the Swedish GP of 1981.

The historic day came amidst tricky weather at the Brno circuit, with rain falling all day but stopping just before the MotoGP race. Crutchlow and his LCR Honda Team took the gamble of fitting a hard wet tyre to the front and rear of his bike, only one of two riders to do so, and despite having taken time to get up to pace, it soon became the combination to be on.

Having started in tenth place on the grid, Crutchlow was down to 15th by the end of lap three, but he was soon on the move, passing riders at will before hitting the front with just over seven laps remaining. The Brit never looked in trouble, and came across the line with a huge stand-up wheelie to celebrate, over seven-seconds clear of his nearest challenger, Valentino Rossi.

Crutchlow’s win comes at a fitting moment, just two weeks after the birth of his first child Willow, and two weeks before the next round of the MotoGP World Championship, at Silverstone in the UK.

#35 Cal Crutchlow – 1st place

“This win means a lot to me. I thought the feeling might be different, but after having become a Dad two weeks ago, nothing matches that. Don’t get me wrong though, I haven’t won a race for many years, maybe six or seven, so it’s been a long time and it’s something really, really special.”

“I’m pleased to be the British rider that’s broken the run, especially after some of the stick I’ve had. I’m also so pleased for my LCR Honda Team, because I wrecked a bike during practice yesterday and they were working until midnight to get it ready for me today. So to repay them with this win is great – they never give up.”

“Victory has been a long time coming and I was emotional on the cool-down lap. I was playing with them in the end though, I knew I had made the right tyre choice on the grid and pushed when I needed to push. I’m ecstatic.”

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It was a demanding day for the LCR Honda Team and their rider Cal Crutchlow at the first Austrian Grand Prix in 19 years, after a jump-start ruled out any chances of fighting for the top positions.

Having let the clutch out a fraction too early, Crutchlow actually stopped his bike completely before the lights went out, so the ensuing ride-through penalty seemed a harsh punishment for the minor crime.

Rejoining the race at the back of the field the British rider still didn’t give up the ghost however, and with an impressive pace he eventually crossed the line in 15th position to claim a solitary point.

The next round of the MotoGP World Championship takes place in just a week, at the Brno circuit in the Czech Republic, where the LCR Honda Team will be hoping for better luck.

#35 Cal Crutchlow – 15th

“Obviously I’m really disappointed. I want to say sorry to my team, I made a mistake and it’s as simple as that. I let the clutch out too early. I thought the penalty was very harsh, but I suppose with the other people jump-starting if I didn’t get the penalty then there would have been complaints. I stopped, and then the lights went out, and promptly lost ten places on the track.”

“When things got going I was actually one of the fastest out there, the leader was in 1’25.1 and we were in 1’25.4. I made sure I brought the bike home though, that was the main thing. It’s been a great summer break for me, and a good one for the team too. So to take an average result when there are so many positives is a bit hard. I don’t know where we would have finished, maybe in between Marc and Dani, but we didn’t and that’s it.”

“We go to Brno with positive vibes because I’m feeling good on the bike and in good shape, and we hope it’s going to be different. I’ve had some great results there in the past and took my first podium there so I’m looking forward to it.” 

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