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Mar 07, 2024

MotoGP: Crutchlow Racing As Wild Card In Japanese Grand Prix

© 2023, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. From a press release issued By Yamaha: Crutchlow To Make Wild Card Entry at the Grand Prix of Japan with the YAMALUBE RS4GP Racing Team Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

© 2023, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. From a press release issued By Yamaha:

Crutchlow To Make Wild Card Entry at the Grand Prix of Japan with the YAMALUBE RS4GP Racing Team

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. is delighted to announce that Cal Crutchlow will spearhead the YAMALUBE RS4GP Racing Team as a wild card rider at Round 14 of the 2023 FIM MotoGP World Championship, held at the Mobility Resort Motegi.

Iwata (Japan), 25th July 2023

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. is pleased to announce that Cal Crutchlow will be a wild card entry in the Motul Grand Prix of Japan, Round 14 of the 2023 FIM MotoGP World Championship, riding the special livery YAMALUBE RS4GP Racing Team YZR-M1 at the Mobility Resort Motegi (formerly known as Twin Ring Motegi) circuit in the race weekend of 29 Sept – 1 Oct.

As the official Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Test Team rider, Crutchlow is the ideal choice for the YAMALUBE RS4GP Racing Team for their one-off MotoGP entry. The Briton‘s participation in the 2023 Japanese GP marks his first Yamaha wild card experience since he started riding for the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Test Team in 2021. He did contest in 10 GPs over the course of 2021-2022 as a replacement rider.

With the upcoming wild card entry for the Grand Prix of Japan, Yamaha aims to have Crutchlow work on prototype parts analysis in a premier class race setting. By lining up Crutchlow alongside fellow Yamaha MotoGP riders Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli on the grid of one of Japan‘s biggest races, Yamaha affirms their mission to bring extra excitement to their home GP and accelerate bike development.

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“I would like to take this chance to develop the YZR-M1 in a maximum way”, shared Kazuhiro Masuda, the YAMALUBE RS4GP Racing Team Director. “I am fully convinced that the feedback from this wild card race, ridden with prototype parts, will make the performance of the machine much stronger.”

KAZUTOSHI SEKI

YMC MotoGP Project Leader

“I believe this wild card will be a significant turning point to improve the performance of the YZR-M1. The engineers are working very hard, and Cal‘s participation in the Japanese GP benefits the improvement of the YZR-M1 for the factory team – not only for this season but also for the next.”

CAL CRUTCHLOW

Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Test Rider

“I‘m happy to have the chance to race at Motegi with the YAMALUBE RS4GP Racing Team. As Yamaha‘s Official Test Rider, I do all I can to help develop the M1. The GP in Japan is a good opportunity to test prototype items in a race setting. I look forward to working with the YAMALUBE RS4GP Racing Team, starting with the upcoming test in August. I‘m sure we‘ll have a great time together. We will work hard to collect as much valuable information for Yamaha as possible.”

NOTES

YAMALUBE

As a genuine liquid engine component, YAMALUBE helps ensure reliability and brings out 100% of the performance potential in every Yamaha engine. It was released in over 160 countries.

RS4GP

YAMALUBE‘s RS4GP oil for 4-stroke motorcycle engines stands as the premier product of the YAMALUBE line-up and boasts the highest quality and performance on offer. It is developed to handle everything from general use on public roads to hard use on trackdays and full-on racing.

CAL CRUTCHLOW – PERSONAL PROFILE

Date of Birth: 29-10-1985

Place of Birth: Coventry

Nationality: British

Height: 170 cm

Weight: 66 kg

MotoGP Debut: 2011 Qatar GP

First Premier Class Win: 2016 Czech GP

Premier Class Victories: 3

Premier Class Podiums: 19

Premier Class Pole Positions: 4

RACING CAREER

2023 MotoGP World Championship – (No starts yet) [Wild Card at the Japanese GP]

2022 MotoGP World Championship – (25th – 10 points) [Replacement rider at the Aragon GP, Japanese GP, Thai GP, Australian GP, Malaysian GP, and the Valencia GP]

2021 MotoGP World Championship – (28th – 0 points) [Replacement rider at the Styrian GP, Austrian GP, British GP, and the Aragon GP]

2020 MotoGP World Championship – (18th – 32 points)

2019 MotoGP World Championship – (9th – 133 points)

2018 MotoGP World Championship – (7th – 148 points)

2017 MotoGP World Championship – (9th – 112 points)

2016 MotoGP World Championship – (7th – 141 points) [Top Independent Team rider]

2015 MotoGP World Championship – (8th – 125 points)

2014 MotoGP World Championship – (13th – 74 points)

2013 MotoGP World Championship – (5th – 188 points)

2012 MotoGP World Championship – (7th – 151 points)

2011 MotoGP World Championship – (12th – 70 points) [Rookie of the Year]

RIDER BIOGRAPHY

Cal Crutchlow arrived in MotoGP from WorldSBK in 2011, having also taken the 2009 WorldSSP title. Achieving accolades as Rookie of the Year on his debut with Monster Yamaha Tech 3 in the premier class, Crutchlow then made his first podiums and pole positions with the Yamaha banner before leaving for the Ducati Team in 2014.

Switching to LCR Honda the year after, Crutchlow‘s greatest glory came in 2016 as he took victory in the wet in Brno – the first British winner for 35 years – and then followed it up with another win at Phillip Island in the dry. Top Independent Team Rider in 2016 and a podium finisher once again in 2017, Crutchlow remained with the LCR team in 2018 for the fourth year running, winning another Grand Prix and set on challenging for the title of top Independent Team Rider once again until his season was curtailed by injury.

Crutchlow returned from a near career-ending injury by claiming P3 on the opening night of the 2019 season, with two more podiums coming the Briton‘s way. 2020 saw Crutchlow continue with LCR Honda, though an eighth-place finish was the best he had to offer before deciding to hang up his leathers.

The Brit then rejoined the Yamaha ranks as a test rider for the 2021 season, and later replaced the injured Franco Morbidelli at Petronas Yamaha SRT for the Styrian and Austrian GPs. Ahead of the British GP, with Maverick Viñales separating from Yamaha, Crutchlow linked up with the factory team alongside Fabio Quartararo and competed at the following Aragon GP too.

When Andrea Dovizioso announced his retirement in 2022 after the San Marino GP, Crutchlow made a comeback and linked up with the WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team for the final six rounds of the season.

In 2023 Crutchlow looks forward to making his wild card debut for Yamaha at the Iwata-based manufacturer’s home GP, held at the Mobility Resort Motegi from 29 Sept – 1 Oct, riding with a special livery that‘s based on the YAMALUBE RS4GP (a high-performance motor oil) branding.

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