CAL CRUTCHLOW launches his World Superbike challenge in Australia this month
Thu, 11 Feb 2010
Cal Crutchlow has moved up after last season’s World Supersport victory in Portimao, he has looked in fantastic form during an early the three-day test session this year at the new track in Portimao Cal finished fourth overall despite a minor spill in his final session. Cal is convinced that his Yamaha will be very competitive in his 13-race campaign which starts at Phillip Island on February 26.
Crutchlow out-performed team-mate James Toseland on all three days – second on Friday in 1min 42.9secs, fourth on Saturday in 1:50.1 and fourth again on Sunday in 1:42.9 when he was headed by three fellow Brits – Honda’s Jonathan Rea (1:42.2), Suzuki’s Leon Haslam (1:42.5) and Ducati’s Shane Byrne (1:42.8) – with Toseland (1:43.1) sixth behind Ducati’s Michel Fabrizio
He was on course to finish higher until he lost his grip going into the final corner before the home straight. This meant Cal had to complete the testing session on his number 2 bike.
“It was frustrating to fall ,” he admitted – “the track seemed to be so slippery it was unavoidable, but it cost me and other riders some time.
“Having said that we’ve had a really good test and worked through a lot of things. We’re still trying to get comfortable on the bike as we progress, but we’re getting there. I’m working away and I think the times were good enough. We’ve got closer to a good set-up for the first race and I’m really keen to get to Australia and start the next block of tests before we kick off the seasons racing.”
Yamaha Sterilgarda team boss Massimo Meregalli agreed: “Unfortunately the grip level was much less than Friday, so until the soft tyres went on the lap times were not as fast as when we started the test. All the riders struggled to find good grip, so the problem was with the track, not the riders.
“Cal lost some time after his minor fall – he switched bikes but had no experience on the tyre on the second bike so couldn’t push as hard as on bike 1.
“James rode really well and was definitely fast enough for the conditions, James was proved to be very strong throughout the 3 days of testing, so we go to Australia feeling confident and with a good spirit. We’ve had a really successful test overall, we’ve got some great feedback and have made a good start to 2010.”
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