Cal Crutchlow produced the ride of his MotoGP career in Le Mans today to claim a heroic podium in the home race of the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team.
Just 24 hours after a heavy practice crash left him with a fracture in his right leg, the British rider showed amazing skill, concentration and courage to finish second in a 28-lap race run in the toughest conditions imaginable.

Crutchlow was the lead Yamaha rider home at the end of a race that started on a perilously slippery and wet surface after heavy rain fell in the build-up. Visibility and calculating grip levels were major early challenges but Crutchlow quickly gained his confidence and he sliced through the field with some outstanding overtakes.

The 27-year-old stormed through from seventh to second with measured moves on reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso, an impressive feat considering how tough it was to master constantly changing conditions and grip levels on a rapidly drying track.

Crutchlow’s career best MotoGP result and first rostrum of 2013 was secured on lap 24 when he attacked former Tech 3 teammate Dovizioso and today’s outstanding performance moved the former World Supersport Champion into fourth place in the World Championship standings with four of 18 rounds completed.

A career best MotoGP result to date was also being hailed on the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team garage after Bradley Smith raced his YZR-M1 to a determined ninth position.

The slippery track surface had an immediate impact on Smith’s race. He suffered a big rear tyre slide while accelerating off the line and it was only the lightning reflexes of the 22-year-old that saved him from a fall.

He dropped right to the back of the field but despite only having very limited experience of the YZR-M1 in wet conditions, Smith’s recent attempts to smoothen his riding style proved vital this afternoon.

Smith quickly established a fast rhythm and as his confidence grew he was able to deliver a fantastic fight back into the top 10. His rousing recovery to ninth moves him to the brink of the top 10 in the World Championship classification on 17 points.

Cal Crutchlow 2nd- 55 points:
“I’m really happy to get my best ever result in MotoGP and the whole team did an incredible job and deserves this result. We showed our fast pace in the dry, we showed our pace in the wet and I think everybody is aware we are not here through luck. It’s even better and more important because this is the home race for Tech 3 and Monster Energy sponsors the event. So to be the best and only Yamaha on the podium feels really good. My start was not the best and it took me a bit of time to get temperature into the tyres. But once I managed that I felt really comfortable. When I saw Andrea and Dani opening a small gap to Valentino I had to make a move because I was afraid they would be too far ahead to try and catch later in the race. And when I saw Marquez recovering time on my pit board I had to pass Andrea otherwise he might have caught both of us during the last laps. I’m really happy with how things went, especially after the crash yesterday. The wet track obviously put less stress on my body but it was tough riding injured in such tough conditions. From now on I just hope we can be injury free and go to Mugello to put on the same show as we did here today.”

Bradley Smith 9th – 17 points:
“Today was a really good learning experience. I’d hardly ridden the YZR-M1 in the rain before, so to get 28 laps under my belt in really tricky conditions was obviously an experience that taught me a lot. During the race I was able to ride a lot smoother and I hope I can carry over something from this experience to the dry in the future. I’m a little bit disappointed with the start of the race. I had a problem with the clutch in the warm up but we were sure it was just because this was my first start in the wet but apparently it was not. But after the first 10 laps to the end of the race I had a very good pace and I’m happy with the improvement made during the whole weekend with ninth position in qualifying and also ninth in the race. That’s my best MotoGP result and gives my confidence another lift, so now I’m really looking forward to going to Mugello, which is a track I can’t wait to ride a MotoGP bike on. Congratulations also to Cal. He rode an awesome race and in an important race for Tech 3 and Monster Energy it was great to see both of us having such a positive result.”

Herve Poncharal – Team Manager:
“That was a very special race for everybody connected to the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. Seeing Cal get a fantastic second place in France and with Monster Energy a title sponsor of the event is incredible because there is always quite a lot of pressure on us to perform. I remember in similar conditions last year both of our guys were fighting for the podium but ended up in the gravel, so I did not feel too comfortable before the start of the race. It has not been an easy weekend with the weather conditions and Cal’s big crash from yesterday, and we even had some doubt that he would be able to participate in qualifying but he did a great job. It was easy to make a mistake in those very difficult conditions but the way he cut through the field gave Tech 3 fans a lot to cheer in the race. Cal is doing an amazing job this season and today once again he showed what a top talent he is. He took his opportunity to get a podium and to get a career best result was a great reward for him and all his crew. I’m also very pleased with the great job Bradley did. He had another strong weekend and was improving in every session and he recovered incredibly well from a bad start. He hasn’t ridden the YZR-M1 much in the rain but he built up his pace and confidence and the most important thing was for him to finish and gain some vital experience on this conditions. I’m sure Monster Energy got some great exposure from Cal and Bradley and now we can’t wait for the next challenge in Mugello.”

Source: Tech3 Communications

Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Cal Crutchlow stole the show yet again today, delivering a drama filled performance and a heroic qualifying effort to take fourth on the grid for tomorrow’s Monster Energy Grand Prix de France. The 26year old took a huge tumble in the fourth free practice, bringing out the red flags whilst medical staff attended on track.

The British rider’s amazing determination and bravery was once again on show as having paid a flying visit to the circuit medical centre he was immediately back out on track, fighting for another front row start in qualifying practice two.

Crutchlow rode through obvious pain and looked certain to have secured a brilliant third place when former teammate Andrea Dovizioso improved his lap time to just six thousands of a second faster, relegating him to the second row of the grid in fourth for tomorrow’s race.

Teammate and fellow British rider Bradley Smith continued to show his calm concentration and steady improvements as he lapped the Le Mans circuit today on his YZR-M1.

Having performed well enough to join the second qualifying session the young British rookie stayed out on track during the 15 minute heat whilst the majority of rider spitted for fresh rubber and enjoyed an empty track.

In the hunt for the best possible grid position Smith was able to lay down a best time of 1’34.222 seconds for ninth on the grid, just over a second from pole and just 0.213 seconds from nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi in eighth.

Cal Crutchlow 4th 1’33.609 – 9 laps:
“I can’t be disappointed to have qualified in fourth position after how the day went. Unfortunately it was another difficult one for us and for sure the crash in free practice four didn’t make things easier. We’ve struggling the whole weekend in a few areas and I still don’t feel completely confident with the setup of the bike, so we have some work to go through tonight. I’m also feeling very sore after the crash and the medical staff diagnosed that I’ve got a small fracture of the right shin but that will not prevent me from giving 100% in tomorrow’s all-important home race for my Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team!”

Bradley Smith 9th 1’34.222 – 10 laps:
“I’m definitely happy to qualify on the third row today. We made some great improvements throughout the whole weekend getting consistently faster during each session. Nevertheless I’m embittered about the gap to the fastest because it’s just over a second and my aim was to be a little bit closer, but probably I would need to worry if I’m completely satisfied after finishing ninth. Anyway, I want to say a big thanks to my team because they prepared a fantastic bike for me that gave me more and more confidence with every single lap. I’m really looking forward to putting on a good show in front of the French fans during tomorrow’s 28 laps lasting race.”

Source: Tech3 Communications

The biggest race of the MotoGP World Championship campaign for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team started in positive fashion for British duo Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith at the historic Le Mans track today.

This weekend’s race is not only the all-important home encounter for the French-based Tech 3 squad, but the popular Le Mans event is sponsored once again by Monster Energy, the high profile American energy drinks company that is the title backer of Crutchlow and Smith’s MotoGP effort.

In extremely cool conditions this morning, Crutchlow was sixth fastest in a closely fought FP1 that saw the top nine covered by less than a second. In higher temperatures this afternoon, Crutchlow remained in sixth position, despite improving his pace by well over 0.5s. A best lap of 1.34.512 was only 0.477s off the best time, the second session proving to be another close affair with the top nine split by just over 0.7s.

Smith was 15th this morning, the British rider getting to grips with the world renowned Bugatti track while also working on the set-up of an updated YZR-M1 chassis which he tested with such positive results in Jerez recently.

He was able to improve by almost 1.5s in FP2 and he rocketed up into 11th place on the rankings with a best time of 1.35.362 that gave the 22-year-old a huge confidence boost ahead of Sunday’s 28-lap race.

Smith’s vast improvement was reflected in the gap to Jerez winner Dani Pedrosa, who led the way in FP1 and FP2. Smith was over two seconds behind Pedrosa this morning but he ended the second session just 1.327s off the quickest pace.

Cal Crutchlow – 6th 1.34.512:
“We did not have our best day today and I’m not really happy with how things started this weekend. We experimented quite a lot with the bike and made it shorter and longer but we did not find an ideal setting yet. We have a lot of chatter and not too much grip, so clearly we are struggling quite a bit at the moment because the other guys seem to improve while I feel the same as on the first lap out there this morning. So we still have a lot of work to do tonight and we have to improve in several areas. I’m having an issue with the brakes but we are still confident for tomorrow and I am sure we can improve to put on a good show in such a big race for Tech 3 and Monster Energy.”

Bradley Smith – 11th 1.35.362:
“Today was a good first day in Le Mans. I started to feel a lot more confident this afternoon compared to this morning because there was extra grip on track thanks to the higher track temperature. We found almost 1.5s and that’s really positive. I like this circuit a lot, especially with a MotoGP bike and the differences compared to a smaller bike seem to be not that big compared to the other tracks I have experienced so far. I just have to understand the different braking points like in the first corner where I’ve already made three mistakes so far. But now I think I understood where the limit is. But it was a good day and we are closer than usual to the top after day one and I really feel confident with the new chassis, especially on new tyres, so we will work hard tonight and hopefully go straight into the second qualifying session tomorrow.”

Source: Tech3 Communications

Cal Crutchlow has refused to speculate on his future, while the Le Mans paddock is rife with talk that the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider could be replaced in the team next year.

With rumours having first emerged in the British press, Team Manager Herve Poncharal hinted to motogp.com this week that the possibility of Crutchlow leaving the team is genuine, as the Englishman is the only rider to hold a contract until only the end of 2013. The suggestion is that Moto2™ front-runner Pol Espargaro could be a favourite to replace him.

“I don’t know,” Crutchlow said during Thursday’s press conference in France. “I have nothing to say on it. There’s not anything I know at the minute, so we can concentrate on the job on hand which is to race this weekend and race next weekend, until Herve tells me (something). Until Herve tells me I’m not riding the bike, I won’t not get on it.”

Crutchlow also clarified comments made by himself about his current situation, with Poncharal having debated the possibility that his rider had unfairly critisised the equipment available to him:

“I’ve said that my package is good, but my package is not this year’s latest package. My package is last year’s, so it’s definitely good – I’ve said that – but Herve also said that I had an option to sign a two-year deal with him, but if he hasn’t signed a contract with the manufacturer then what do I do? He could have put me in Moto2™ the second year…so I think it’s great that I only signed for one year.”

Later on Thursday, Crutchlow spoke with motogp.com commentator Gavin Emmett during a live Q&A session, in which he outlined his personal targets for the remainder of 2013.

“I expect we’ll be on the podium soon – the sooner, the better,” he said. “We can start building up towards the end of the season. Last year, the worst bit was the middle, but I had a strong end to the year. I think, in MotoGP, for a satellite rider to win a race is very difficult. I think you have to get a little bit lucky but I would take anything as it comes. However, I believe in my own ability and I believe there is no reason why – at a certain point of the year, when things are going well – we can’t be there. I’m adamant of that and that’s the way it is…doing it is a lot more difficult that just saying it, though.

“I think we’re doing our job at the minute, which is to be the top satellite rider. We’re very close to the factory guys, if not being a lot of the factory guys now and again. We can’t do much more than that, we really can’t. The only guys that are beating me are the factory guys, but I’m not to know…if I jumped on their bike would I go any faster? I don’t know. I might go slower, for all I know! It’s a situation that you can never control.

“You just have to do what you do but, if I can get some podiums I think the run will then start. That’s what I hope, anyway.”

Source: motogp.com

The united press fielded the inevitable question at the pre-Le Mans press conference about how Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo are getting on, following a heated rider briefing earlier in the day, that had been planned before Jerez, yet was brought to peoples’ attention due to the previous race’s last-corner incident.

Repsol Honda Team’s rookie championship leader Marquez was joined by last race winner and teammate Dani Pedrosa, Yamaha Factory Racing’s Lorenzo, his teammate Valentino Rossi, Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow, as well as Power Electronics Aspar’s local rider Randy de Puniet as proceedings kicked-off at the pre-race Le Mans press conference.

Lorenzo commented that he understood Marc’s actions, yet was keen to clarify the use of the new points system: “When you see some space, you try it! I have nothing against Marc. But we are not using this points system, and I’d like us to use it. I think you can become a more logical rider – I only changed in 2005 because I was penalized.” Marquez’s stance was: “If you do that on the first lap or in the middle I can understand a penalty. But on the last lap….I think fans like it.”

There were laughs as Lorenzo joked about the two sharing a flight back after the race, only one seat apart, saying: “There are almost 300 people on the plane and we are next to each other. It was funny. Then we shook hands [for the first time after the incident]. Like I say, I have no problem with Marc, I just want to improve the safety of my sport.”

Marquez, who comes straight off the back of his controversial last corner move on Lorenzo in Jerez last time out, is wary that possibly wet conditions could make things more tricky: “It could be difficult in rain conditions, especially for a rookie rider. I’ve already tried the bike in rain conditions and you can really push a lot. We’ll try to do our best and be close to the front.”

Pedrosa, who stormed to a convincing win at his home race, is awaiting the first practice tomorrow before making any predictions: “We’ve done many poles at Le Mans, but it’s always a tricky weekend because of tyre choice. It’s kind of a difficult place. I’ve got back the good feeling with the bike and we had a good test the Monday after Jerez, but I don’t know how much dry or wet time we’ll have.”

Lorenzo, who convincingly won at Le Mans in the wet last year, is happy to be back: “It’s always a pleasure to be here. Also, for my riding it’s a good track and I think the Yamaha should be good. In Jerez we had issues with the front, but we tried many things in the test, and it’s colder here, so I hope we should be ok.”

Le Mans is one of the places Rossi tasted rare success whilst still on a Ducati, and is hoping for more of the same with his Yamaha M1: “We’re still working on the best balance of the bike, as I’m still struggling under braking. But I like this track, and the weather will be very important. We have a few things to try tomorrow and will see how the bike works in the lower temperature.”

Crutchlow, for whose team this is the home Grand Prix, is expecting an improvement over Jerez: “The Yamaha maybe works well in the cold, as we’ve seen in morning sessions before. We need to look at the bike and strategy. I’m pleased with my bike, and if we could get a good result it would be great for the team’s home GP.” And on speculation about his future he remained tight-lipped: “There’s nothing I know at the minute, but will focus on race to race.”

De Puniet will be aiming to fight for that CRT top spot that has so far eluded him, in front of his home support: “For me this GP is very important, not just because it’s my home race, but I also need to start my season. My teammate is very fast, and I need to do very well to beat him at the end of the year. The biggest thing this year is the new rear tyre, which helps a lot.” He also responded to questions regarding his link with Suzuki: “I can’t say anything now, but I am speaking with Suzuki, and it could be a good opportunity. If I can help develop the bike at the same time and focus on this season it would be good – but my focus in with Aspar.”

Source: motogp.com

Marc Marquez set the pace in Monday’s single day of post-race testing at the Circuito de Jerez. He led Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow and Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo plus Repsol Honda Team partner and Sunday race winner Dani Pedrosa.

To start with, conditions were very much the same as they had been in the pre-race Warm-Up session – far warmer than is usual in the morning at this time of year.

Fresh from his third podium finish from as many races, Marquez was first out of the pits as his team worked in the areas of electronics and chassis. Following a short time in which Lorenzo topped the timesheets, it was the newcomer who moved ahead in the second hour and his best lap time of 1’38.824 stuck for the rest of the day.

Crutchlow had no new parts to test and so focused on setup modifications, but did not push to the absolute limit as he remains bruised from his two heavy crashes of Saturday. The Yamaha Factory bikes sandwiched Pedrosa as Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi finished third and fifth, comparing two versions of their 2013 chassis with the goal being to establish one solid base setup; if achieved, this will allow the squad to rule out the time-consuming task of switching between chassis during race weekends. This exercise had not been carried out previously, as grip levels were too low in Qatar whereas Texas provided many unknowns when compared to familiar Jerez.

GO&FUN Honda Gresini focused on the front and rear Showa suspension of Alvaro Bautista who finished sixth quickest, while on the team’s CRT machine Bryan Staring ran with a new frame. LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl had suffered a lack of front end grip for the entire race weekend, thus today the German hoped to modify the geometry of his bike in a bid to find a proper solution. He would end proceedings in ninth spot.

Filling the void in seventh and eighth were the Ducati Team pairing Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso, who had been highly keen to sample the new GP13 Lab chassis for the first time. Both riders conducted back-to-back comparisons with the current GP13 bike, although test rider Michele Pirro – who had competed with the new machine over the weekend – was not on-track today. Bradley Smith rounded out the top ten on the second Tech 3 machine.

A selection of CRT riders – such as those of NGM Mobile Forward Racing, Came IodaRacing Project and Avintia Blusens’ Hector Barbera – experimented with the first significant upgrade to the Magneti Marelli MotoGP ECU kit. This is aimed at providing a better interface for riders and teams when working on bike setup, while on the bike itself the main performance steps are wheelie control and an ‘anti-jerk’ strategy that cuts engine power when between off-throttle and on-throttle situations; this should allow for a more stable mid-corner ride.

In the case of Barbera who was the leading CRT runner in 11th place, the Spaniard also looked at several new chassis components, whereas Avintia teammate Hiroshi Aoyama tried out a new frame and swingarm combination. At PBM, Michael Laverty – who on Sunday had scored his first points with the team’s own-built bike – ran new parts as well as looking into the ECU update, whereas on the outfit’s ART machine Yonny Hernandez was looking to solve several setup issues, having been one of five riders to crash out of Sunday’s race. Danilo Petrucci was 14th for Came IodaRacing Project, working on bike setting as teammate Lukas Pesek completed the 19-rider field.

Not in attendance were Pramac Racing or Power Electronics Aspar. For the Italian outfit, Ben Spies remains out of action because of his pectoral muscle problem, whereas Andrea Iannone will undergo arm pump surgery in Barcelona on Tuesday.

MotoGP™ track action continues next Friday, 17th May, as the field takes to the tarmac at Le Mans in Free Practice for the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France.

Source: motogp.com

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team celebrated its first double top 10 result of the 2013 MotoGP campaign in Jerez today, with Cal Crutchlow riding to a heroic fifth place and rookie Bradley Smith storming to a maiden top 10 finish.

Crutchlow displayed phenomenal determination and bravery to bounce back from two heavy crashes yesterday to maintain his 100% record of finishing every race inside the top five this season.

The British rider was engaged in an exciting early fight with Valentino Rossi for fourth before he got locked into an intense tussle with Alvaro Bautista shortly before the halfway stage of the 27-lap encounter.

In scenes reminiscent of their titanic battle for the podium in Japan last October, Bautista seized fifth from Crutchlow on lap 11. But riding through the pain barrier in gruelling heat that saw temperatures hit 27 degrees under clear blue skies, Crutchlow fought back superbly to take back fifth on lap 17. He then produced a master class in aggressive riding to streak away from Bautista and claim a third successive top five finish by almost three seconds.

Bradley Smith produced an equally impressive ride to come tantalizingly close to registering his first top 10 finish in MotoGP.

For the majority of the 27-lap race he was locked in the biggest battle on track for eighth position with Andrea Dovizioso, Aleix Espargaro and Michele Pirro.

Smith moved into the top 10 on lap 24 with a clinical move to get by Pirro and at that stage he was 1.770s behind Espargaro. He produced a stunning late charge to cut the Spaniard’s advantage to less than a second but just as he was lining up an attack to claim ninth the chequered flag came out.

Cal Crutchlow 5th – 35 points:
“Fifth place today is not a bad result considering everything that has gone on before but it’s not exactly what we expected. I was fast all weekend but after the two crashes yesterday I think it’s a very good result to remain the best of the rest. I did not feel very confident with the front-end in the race, but I think all Yamaha’s struggled in this area. I think in the middle of the race my pace was good and I started to push but with the full fuel tank I could not stop the bike and I had no grip, so I lost quite a bit of time in the early laps. Physically I had no problem on the bike for the race distance although I had a little bit of pain in my lower back. It has been a difficult weekend in many respects so I am very satisfied with fifth because probably last year I would not have finished the race in the same situation and that’s for sure an improvement.”

Bradley Smith 10th – 10 points:
“I’m obviously happy with my first top 10 result because conditions for the race were different compared to the rest of the weekend. The lap times were relatively slow and the temperature meant the grip was quite low, so it was a big learning experience for me. Riding these bikes with that little grip needs a different style, so I had to adapt at the beginning of the race. From the middle stages I felt comfortable and I’m a little disappointed to be beaten again by Espargaro but it’s nice to be at least closer than last time in Austin. I just ran out of time at the end of the race because I was catching him very quickly. In Austin I was 50 seconds behind the winner and here the deficit is 44 seconds, so that’s definitely a positive and our aim for the future will be to keep reducing the gap. I’m really looking forward to the test tomorrow. It will be another learning experience for me and it will be nice to test on a track where we’ve just had a race and where I feel now really comfortable on the bike. Tomorrow we will be able to test a few different parts and understand actually what’s working better and what does not. So all in all it has been a positive weekend with improvements in every session.”

Herve Poncharal – Team Manager:
“Cal did amazing all weekend, even though the two high-speed crashes yesterday meant he faced a very tough race. But he showed his fighting spirit and he had a good fight with Valentino at the beginning of the race and with Bautista afterwards. He managed to pass Bautista and was able to follows Rossi’s pace and it is a shame he was a few seconds behind him because I’m sure he could have fought for fourth. Cal clearly demonstrated once again that he is the best of the rest. He is still fifth in the Championship and just a few points behind Valentino and this is very encouraging. It has also been a very positive weekend for Bradley who improved a lot in every session and he managed to score his first MotoGP top 10 finish. The race was hard and he had some good fights with Andrea and Pirro and this was very interesting to watch. At the end he managed to pass Pirro and finish close behind Dovi, which is a very strong result. We leave Jerez very confident for the upcoming challenges, and the next one will be our all-important home race in Le Mans where we are already really excited about going there.”

Source: Tech3 Communications

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Cal Crutchlow will start tomorrow’s Gran Premio bwin De Espana from fourth position on the grid after the British rider experienced a day of contrasting fortunes at the Jerez track today.

The British rider’s sparkling form in the early part of 2013 continued this morning when he topped the timesheets in FP3 with a best time of 1.38.975 that was close to a full second faster than Dani Pedrosa’s current lap record.

Crutchlow was looking strong and confident to continue that hot streak of form in hot and sunny conditions in FP4 when he crashed unhurt at Turn 5 while placed inside the top three.

The 27-year-old was determined to bounce back from the earlier spill to challenge for a second front row start of the 2013 World Championship campaign when he fell heavily in a dramatic 15-minute QP2 session.

Pushing hard to try and move into the top three, Crutchlow lost the front of his YZR-M1 machine at the final corner shortly after the halfway stage. Demonstrating tremendous determination and courage, Crutchlow rushed back to the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team garage to immediately return to the track and try again to clinch a place on the front row for the ninth time in his MotoGP career.

But despite a heroic effort he had to settle for a best time of 1.39.262 that was only 0.291s away from Marc Marquez in third. Crutchlow underwent medical checks in the Clinica Mobile immediately after the session after complaining of lower back pain but he has been given the all-clear to start tomorrow’s race.

Teammate Bradley Smith will start the 27-lap race from 12th position after he enjoyed a positive day at the Circuito de Jerez.

Smith produced a brilliant display in QP1 to post a lap of 1.39.990 that put him into one of the top two places he needed to advance into QP2 where the top 12 grid positions are determined.

Satisfied to have claimed a place on one of the front four rows for the third time in his rookie season, Smith was less than 0.5s away from a top 10 place on the grid. And the 22-year-old is confident he can battle for a second successive points scoring finish in tomorrow’s race, which is predicted to take place in searing heat and humidity in Southern Spain.

Cal Crutchlow 4th 1.32.262 – 6 laps :
“It has been a very difficult day for obvious reasons. The two crashes were very big but the second one was particularly hard because it was very fast. The first crash the temperature was quite a lot different from the morning and I just got caught out and it was my own mistake. In the second crash some people felt there was something on the track but I don’t think that was the case to be honest. I made a mistake in the braking and rather than going straight the front brake level locked into my hand. But this was a really big crash and I’m proud that I got back to the garage and went back out to try and go faster. It seems in the warmer conditions it is quite difficult but I am not the only one feeling this. I’m looking forward to the race and we will make some changes with the bike to try and improve the front feeling in the hot conditions. It seems everybody is struggling and it is not like me to have two crashes in one day. I’m a bit battered and bruised but it won’t stop me from giving it 100% in tomorrow’s race.”

Bradley Smith 12th 1.40.356 – 8 laps :
“It was a great job to get into QP2 again today because I really had to fight to make that happen. My race pace is quite good and I am confident but it is going to be a very long and difficult race in the heat. I need to be confident when the tyres drop because it looks like the grip drops down a lot after only three laps and tyre management will be vital. I have made slow progress again all weekend and once again I am working on the same things I’ve been trying so far since I first rode the YZR-M1 machine. It is my riding style and how I am riding the bike where I need to work on but tomorrow is another learning day. I need to get a good start and see if I can follow some of those in the top 10 to get as much as experience as I can.”

Source: Tech3 Communications

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Cal Crutchlow made a flying start to the European phase of the 2013 MotoGP World Championship today, the British rider launching a stunning challenge for the top three in both practice sessions at the Circuito de Jerez.

Fourth quickest in cooler than anticipated conditions in FP1 this morning, Crutchlow was only 0.046s outside of the top three to continue his fantastic form at the Jerez track.

The 27-year-old battled for the podium right to the finish line in Jerez a year ago and he produced an impressive performance in the final winter test session at the Spanish venue in late March to top the timesheets.

With air and track temperatures increasing significantly in bright and sunny conditions for FP2, Crutchlow was able to improve his pace and position to once again comfortably finish as the fastest non-factory rider.

A best lap of 1.39.733 elevated Crutchlow into second place behind reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, who was only 0.171s quicker in a session that saw the top five split by just 0.327s. The former World Supersport champion finished third fastest on the combined leaderboard and after such a positive start to the weekend, Crutchlow is optimistic he will be in the hunt for a podium in Sunday’s 27-lap race.

Bradley Smith enjoyed a productive start to his weekend too, the 22-year-old helped by the fact that he has lapped the Jerez track previously on the YZR-M1 machine during the winter testing schedule.

He took it steady this morning with a track temperature of only 20 degrees and a lap of 1.41.778 put him 17th on the timesheets. Smith was able to improve by almost a second in hotter conditions for FP2, which saw the track temperature soar to 45 degrees.

Smith lowered his pace to a 1.40.990 and that lap time secured him an encouraging 13th on the FP2 leaderboard and 14th overall, with the British rookie hoping he can take another big leap forward tomorrow to challenge for a place in the top 10 on the grid for round three of the 2013 World Championship.

Cal Crutchlow – 3rd 1.39.733 – 40 laps:
“It was quite a tough day because we made a lot of changes that meant the bike was set-up completely different than the way we had it at the test. We made it a little bit longer and lower to give me a good feeling because while I was able to set the fastest time at the test, the track temperature was much higher today and it meant the bike was not working perfectly with the set-up we ran at the test. I was changing bikes during FP2 and doing a lot of laps to try as many things as possible and I am positive for the rest of the weekend. We’ve got a few ideas to improve even further tomorrow and I will sit down with my crew tonight and have a good look at the data to come up with a plan of attack for the rest of the weekend. My Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team is doing a great job again and being competitive and fast today gives us a lot of confidence to take into Saturday and Sunday.”

Bradley Smith – 14th 1.40.990 – 41 laps:
“The nice thing about today is I was able to go a little bit faster than I managed at the test, so the gap to the front is still quite similar. I haven’t lost anything but I’m a little bit disappointed that I didn’t gain anything as well. I am a lot happier after this afternoon’s session though and my main focus was on trying to ride the bike in a smoother way. It is so important to be smooth on a MotoGP bike and I’m still working on that. I’m losing most of my time in sector 4 and we’ll check some data and see where I can improve. But it was another good day of learning and I’m looking forward to taking another step forward tomorrow.”

Source: Tech3 Communications

Repsol Honda Team’s championship leading rookie Marc Marquez was joined by Yamaha Factory Racing’s reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo, Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow, Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso, LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl, as well as Marc VDS Racing’s Moto2™ leader Scott Redding at the pre-race press conference in Jerez on the eve of the Gran Premio bwin de España.

Marquez, who became the youngest ever race-winner in the premier-class last time out in Texas, has surprisingly never won in any class at the Jerez track: “Coming back to Spain after my victory I realized it was very important [for the fans], but we mustn’t forget it’s my first season. And arriving here in Jerez is always special for everyone. But like in Qatar and Austin we’ll try our best and just focus on race set-up. Only here in Jerez I have never won, but I don’t think this weekend will be my first.”

Lorenzo, who has not won at the track since 2011, will be honoured this race by having the final turn named after him: “Today is a very special day for me. I made my debut at the Jerez track and I’ve won here a few times. For me to receive this is so special – more so than the World Championship. A few can win the Championship, but there are even less with a corner to their name. For the race, Jerez is normally a track that’s quite good for the Yamaha, as well as my riding style.”

Britain’s Crutchlow could prove one of the biggest surprises this weekend, having not only topped pre-season testing at the track, but also looking very strong in the first few races: “It’s nice to come back to Jerez. But I think it will be one of the most difficult races of the year, and it’s a track that is tricky for anyone to get away at the front. Obviously there is more I can do [to challenge for higher positions], but we are always taking little steps. I won’t win the race by one minute all of a sudden.”

Dovizioso will lead the Ducati charge, as the Italian outfit continues to strive for improved race results: “I’m quite happy about the results in the first two races, especially Texas. We’ll have to wait a few more races for new parts [and see an improvement in results], but [Michele] Pirro will be riding the new chassis with new engine management as a wildcard – a bike which we’ll get to try in the test on Monday.”

Germany’s Bradl, fresh from fifth in Texas, aims to take the next step as the grid lines up in Jerez: “In Qatar it was a mistake, as I started with a crash, though Austin was a big relief. We’ll try to finish every race as good as we can, and will try to be faster and closer to the top guys.”

And in Moto2, Scott Redding will look to take his outright pace through race distance to fight for the win: “The game’s just started. Texas was difficult for everyone, but we’ve come back leading the championship. I’m not changing my approach – my job is to look after myself and do the best job I can. I’ve got a pretty good set-up, also in the wet, so I’m looking forward to the race.”

Earlier in the day, Lorenzo visited Jerez’s city hall where he was welcomed by mayor María José García-Pelayo. The Mallorcan rider signed the city’s book of honour and delivered a signed helmet to the mayor. This was also where it was officially announced that Lorenzo would receive the gift of having the corner named in his honour.

Away from the track and city hall, some of MotoGP’s other stars, including Aleix Espargaro, Alvaro Bautista, Takaaki Nakagami, Zulfahmi Khairuddin, Alex Rins and Livio Loi, were given an insight into the Southern Spanish culture as they visited the Finca Fuente Rey, an estate that belongs to Fermin Bohórquez, a prestigious Spanish breeder of fighting bulls and a mounted bullfighter himself, along with number one bullfighter Davind Fandila “El Fandi”. “El Fandi” showed the riders how to see if a heifer is bravo, and would thus be kept to exclusively produce more bulls, as well as how to cape with a one-year old heifer.

Source: motogp.com