2023-09-28 14:08:38
Cal Crutchlow is convinced that Japanese factories can get out of the hole in which they have been mired for two seasons. The British rider and Yamaha tester will run his first wildcard this weekend alongside those from Iwata, and although he has already raced up to ten grand prix between 2021 and 2022, replacing other Yamaha riders, in Japan it will be the first time that we will see the one from Coventry racing as a guest, enrolled in the ranks of the YAMALUBE RS4GP Racing Team.
The 37-year-old driver knows very well the technical and human capacity that the two Japanese giants have at their disposal, and believes that the dynamics of the championship will change soon: “We know that Yamaha and Honda can make the best bikes in the world because they did it for many, many years. For many years Ducati didn’t win, Aprilia didn’t get anywhere and KTM has just started to emerge. But everything will change,” Crutchlow pointed out this Thursday from Motegi.
Number #35 believes that “In five years, maybe the two Japanese brands will be in front again and the others will be nowhere”, remembering that “that’s what racing is like” and making clear the merit that Ducati, Aprilia and KTM have for having grown so much in recent years: “You have to congratulate them for what they have done, for now being ahead, the others. But I think that both Yamaha and Honda are strong manufacturers, they know how to build a motorcycle, they have good engineers.”
When it comes to commenting on what is failing among Japanese brands when it comes to evolving their motorcycles, Crutchlow believes that it is a purely cultural issue that has a lot to do with the Japanese philosophy of risking the least, a position radically opposed to the European, much braver and innovative: “The problem is that now they have to change the way they work, because the game has changed. This is the reality. Obviously, what the Europeans do works, so we also have to go a little in this direction. We have to be more open. “Yamaha knows it, and I’m sure Honda does too, and I think that when they do it like that and start to act faster and react better and be more open-minded and not so safe, then they will take a big step.”
Changing the subject, Crutchlow has also been asked his opinion on the situation of Marc Márquez and his possible change to Gresini Racing. “If I were Marc… damn, I have no idea,” recognized with a smile in the house. “I’ve always said it: If Marc gets on a Ducati, the rest don’t care if they don’t appear. I’ve always said it. For this reason, I don’t want him to go! “I want him to turn it around with Honda.”he says convinced.
For Yamaha tester, Marc Márquez “He is the most talented rider I have had the privilege of racing with, because I was riding the Honda at the same time as him and I know what he was doing. I understood it, but I couldn’t do it. His talent was incredible,” and says he is convinced that #93 “He hasn’t lost this talent, I just think that at the moment the bike doesn’t allow him to do what he used to do. If he did, he would still be at the top of the championship.”
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In the event that Márquez ends up racing a Ducati next, Cal believes that his superiority could be such that “maybe it’s all too boring”and is betting more on his continuity at Honda and a glorious return on the bike that has given him his six MotoGP titles: “So the story could be a revolution, that manages to turn it around with Honda and come back. I think this story could be better for everyone”Crutchlow said, thinking about the show on the track.
#boring