MotoGP News
Date:
19/May/2013
Cal Crutchlow made Yamaha’s 2014 MotoGP rider choice more
complicated by claiming a career-best second place, while riding injured, in the French Grand Prix.
In the run up to the event, both Crutchlow and his Tech 3
team boss Herve Poncharal confirmed to the media that discussions were underway
between Yamaha and Moto2 star Pol Espargaro.
With Crutchlow the only Yamaha rider without a contract for
next year, it is the Englishman who looks set to lose out if a deal is done,
despite being the top satellite rider this year.
Crutchlow’s Le Mans hopes then took a big knock, literally,
when he was slammed into the ground during Saturday practice, leaving him with
blood in his helmet and a crack in his right leg.
But the headstrong Crutchlow seems to thrive on such
‘against the odds’ situations and, after medical clearance, qualified fourth on
the grid - then rode to second place in the wet race.
Crutchlow said: “I
have a small crack in the top of the shin bone, so when I walk it hurts but on
the bike it’s not so bad.
“I was more concerned about the chest and stomach because I
coughed a lot of blood up in the crash yesterday and had a nose bleed.
“So I’m thankful to the circuit for showing the red flag, because
I was lying on the floor with blood in the helmet and didn’t know what the
situation was.”
While Dani Pedrosa escaped to victory in the race, Crutchlow
soon settled into a podium battle with Factory Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi and
Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso.
Crutchlow had fallen while fighting those same riders the
year before.
“I knew if it was a wet race I could try and make amends for
last year, when me, Valentino [Rossi] and Dovizioso were battling in these same
conditions.
“Last year I crashed so this time I was thinking ‘just stay
on board and stay smooth’. I knew I wanted to bide my time, but I knew Marc [Marquez]
was coming from behind.”
This time it was Rossi who crashed, while Crutchlow overtook
Dovizioso for second place with five laps to go and kept just out of reach of
the charging Marquez.
“It’s definitely nice to beat those guys. They are world
class. I think in this condition we proved we can fight with the best. It’s a
great reward for the team at their home grand prix.”
Crutchlow is now fourth in the World Championship, ahead of
Rossi. If he continues like this, Yamaha will face a very difficult decision to
make for 2014.
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