When Yamaha announced that Cal Crutchlow would be moving up from World Superbikes to MotoGP next season to join Herve Poncharal’s Tech3 team, we sort of wondered if the British rider would take part in the final MotoGP race of the season at Valencia, just like his predecessor, Ben Spies.
Spies took advantage of his wildcard status to get a head start on getting to know the M1, adding three extra days on the Yamaha ahead of the post season official test, which definitely was a very smart move (he finished 7th in the race) with testing slashed to the bare minimum.
However Cal Crutchlow has decided that he prefers two private tests on the M1 in Japan, than competing in the final MotoGP round of the season:“It kind of came down to the choice of doing two tests in Japan or racing at Valencia.
While it would be good to get a race under my belt, the reasons are the same as to why I turned down the ride earlier in the year when Valentino got injured.
I’d be turning up to ride a bike I’ve never even sat on before with Bridgestone tyres and carbon brakes.
For me a private test is the best way to get your first ride on a new bike.
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