Cal Crutchlow

Cal Crutchlow

Crutchlow, during an autograph session at the 2015 Motorcycle Grand Prix of the Americas
Nationality United Kingdom British
Born (1985-10-29) 29 October 1985
Coventry, West Midlands, England
Current team LCR Honda
Bike number 35
Website calcrutchlow.com
Motorcycle racing career statistics
MotoGP World Championship
Active years2011–present
ManufacturersYamaha (2011–2013)
Ducati (2014)
Honda (2015-present)
Championships0
2016 championship position7th (141 pts)
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
109 2 13 3 4 778
Superbike World Championship
Active years2008, 2010
ManufacturersHonda, Yamaha
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
30 3 11 6 8 311
Supersport World Championship
Active years2005–2006, 2009
ManufacturersHonda, Yamaha
Championships1
2009 championship position1st (243 pts)
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
17 5 10 10 9 260

Cal Crutchlow (born 29 October 1985) is a British professional motorcycle road racer, who currently competes in the MotoGP World Championship for CWM LCR Honda.

He started his career as a superbike rider. He was the 2006 British Supersport Championship champion and the 2009 Supersport World Championship winner with Yamaha. He also won races in the British Superbike Championship – finishing 3rd in 2008 – and in the Superbike World Championship, finishing 5th in 2010.

Since 2011, Crutchlow has competed in the MotoGP World Championship. He joined the Tech 3 satellite team, riding a Yamaha, achieving six podium finishes over three seasons, between 2011 and 2013. In 2014, Crutchlow joined the factory Ducati team on a two-year contract from 2014. However, after just one season with the team – with one podium finish, and lying fourteenth in the riders' championship – Crutchlow terminated his contract to join CWM LCR Honda for the 2015 season, riding a factory Honda.

Career

Early years

Born in Coventry, England, he was named Cal after the American motorcycle racer Cal Rayborn.[1] Although his father Derek was a racer, he did not become interested in the sport himself until age 11. As of 2007 he did not hold a motorcycle licence for the road.[2] He had football trials with Coventry City and Aston Villa as a youth, but after a knee injury chose to concentrate on motorcycle racing.[3]

Crutchlow won the UK Junior Challenge in 1999, and the Aprilia RS125 Challenge in 2001.[4] He was runner-up in the 2003 Yamaha R6 Cup behind Tommy Hill, who earned a factory sponsored ride in the British Superbike series for this achievement.

He won the British Supersport Championship in 2006, after a 3-year stint in the series in which he finished 3rd in 2005.[5]

British Superbike Championship (2007–2008)

Crutchlow riding for Honda in the 2008 British Superbike Championship

For 2007 he made his debut in the prestigious British Superbike Championship, with the Rizla Suzuki team alongside four-time runner-up Chris Walker. He took pole at Croft,[6] and finished 9th overall after finishing the season with his first podium, third at Brands Hatch. For 2008 he moved to HM Plant Honda, sponsored by CIA Insurance.[7] He took his first series win in race 2 at Thruxton.[8] He took pole for round 3 at Oulton Park – he led race 1 before running wide in damp conditions,[9] and crashed heavily out of 2nd place in race 2, injuring his ankle in the process.[10] After initially having the better of teammate Leon Haslam, Crutchlow was ultimately outpointed by him. He took two wins in the season, and finished 3rd overall in the championship, beating Tom Sykes by two points after the Yorkshireman had a late mechanical failure in the final round.

Supersport World Championship (2009)

On 23 September 2008, it was confirmed that Crutchlow had signed a deal to ride for the Wilco Zeelenberg-managed Yamaha factory team in the 2009 World Supersport Championship.[11] He finished in the top four at every race until a mechanical failure while leading at Brno, and found himself in a two-way championship dice with surprise package Eugene Laverty on a Parkalgar Honda. Crutchlow lead the championship until a gearbox failure while leading at Imola meant that Eugene Laverty moved to within 3 points.[12] However, at Magny-Cours after an intense start Laverty crashed, but picked his bike back up to leave him 19 points behind Crutchlow with 1 race at Portimão left.[13] Laverty won in Portugal, but a fourth place by Crutchlow was enough to secure him the 2009 championship.

Superbike World Championship (2010)

Crutchlow took his first World Superbike race wins at the Silverstone round in 2010.

On 1 October 2009 Yamaha announced that Crutchlow would make the move from World Supersport to the Superbike World Championship in 2010. His teammate was former world champion James Toseland, who rejoined the Superbike World Championship after losing his place in MotoGP.[14] He took his first series pole at his second meeting, at Portimão, but did not win either race. He stoked controversy after the first race there by mentioning in an interview that he was well clear of Toseland when he crashed out, but insists that he is not arrogant.[15] Toseland later pointed out that Crutchlow's tendency to speak his mind means that not everybody can get on with him.[16] Crutchlow took his first two World Superbike wins at Silverstone, after battling with Ten Kate Racing rider Jonathan Rea, and as a result climbed from tenth to fifth in the standings.[17]

MotoGP (2011–)

Tech 3 (2011–2013)

2011
Crutchlow at the 2011 Australian Grand Prix.

It was officially announced on 5 September 2010 that Crutchlow would join Tech 3 for the 2011 MotoGP Championship.[18] Crutchlow ended the season in 12th position in the championship, and sealed the Rookie of the Year Award after achieving his best result of the season – fourth place – in Valencia.[19]

2012

After a successful period in the winter testing for the 2012 season, Crutchlow got off to a good start. In Losail, Crutchlow secured 3rd position on the starting grid, and went on to achieve 4th place ahead of teammate Andrea Dovizioso, matching his previous best finish in Valencia last year. Following his first front-row qualifying, his father lost a bet with Wilco Zeelenberg and had to shave off his 40-year-old moustache.

Crutchlow again suffered disappointment at Silverstone during practice for the British Grand Prix when he crashed at Chapel Corner. Early x-rays showed no break to his ankle, however it was clear Crutchlow was in considerable pain. Further examination showed a broken and dislocated left ankle, and raised questions over Crutchlow's participation in the race.[20] He was given the all clear by doctors, and passed a fitness test at the circuit. Starting at the back of the grid, Crutchlow raced with characteristic determination, and finished in a highly commendable 6th place.

Overall Crutchlow had a very positive season, finishing seventh in the championship, running consistently within the top-five riders and obtaining two podium finishes – third place on both occasions – in the Czech Republic and in Australia.[21]

2013
Crutchlow battling with Valentino Rossi at the 2013 French Grand Prix, where he finished second

After another positive season, Crutchlow finished fifth in the championship with 188 points. He obtained four podium finishes, with second places in France[22] and Germany,[23] and third places in Italy[24] and the Netherlands.[25] He also achieved the first pole position of his career at Assen. Crutchlow battled consistently among the second group of riders, along with Andrea Dovizioso, Stefan Bradl and Álvaro Bautista.

Ducati (2014)

On 2 August 2013 it was announced that Crutchlow had signed a two-year deal with the factory Ducati team, to partner Andrea Dovizioso.[26] The beginning of his season was plagued with issues. A malfunctioning transponder caused the electronics of his Ducati Desmosedici to behave strangely during the first race in Qatar, where he finished in sixth place.[27] He experienced tyre issues and later crashed out of the race in Austin.[28] In the crash he suffered a hand injury, causing him to miss the Argentine Grand Prix and thus missing a championship race for the first time in his career.[29] He returned in Jerez, but he was forced to retire after three laps, having experienced problems with the brakes.[30]

On 2 August 2014, exactly a year after joining the team, it was announced that Crutchlow was leaving Ducati.[31] Later the same day, it was announced that Crutchlow had signed for LCR Honda for the 2015 season, riding the factory-specification RC213V,[32] replacing Stefan Bradl. He achieved his first podium with Ducati in Aragon, finishing in third place.[33]

Team LCR (2015–)

2015
Crutchlow at the 2015 Catalan Grand Prix

Crutchlow started the 2015 season with CWM-LCR Honda by taking seventh-place finishes in Qatar and Austin.[34] He then achieved his first podium with the team, with a third-place result in Argentina after a last-lap pass on Andrea Iannone.[35] In the process, Crutchlow achieved LCR's first podium since Stefan Bradl finished second at the 2013 United States Grand Prix.[36] Crutchlow retired from each of the next three races on the calendar, in France, Italy and Catalunya,[37] before a sixth-place finish in the Netherlands and adding a seventh-place finish in Germany.[38] Crutchlow finished eighth in the championship.

2016

Crutchlow won his first race at the wet 2016 Czech Republic GP. This win ended a 35-year dry spell as the last win by a British rider in the top flight was Barry Sheene at the 1981 Swedish Grand Prix. He also won the Australian GP, his first dry win. He became the first Briton ever to win the Australian Grand Prix. He ended the year with 141 points, finishing seventh in the championship.[39]

2017

Crutchlow crashed at out at the season opener in Qatar,[40] but rallied at the second race in Argentina to take a podium in 3rd place.[41] He followed this up with two top five finishes in his next three races to produce a solid start to the season.[41]

Personal life

Cal Crutchlow lives in Ramsey, Isle of Man. He married to Lucy Heron in January 2014.[42] Cal announced on Twitter that he and Lucy welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Willow, on 2 August 2016. Crutchlow has ridden several exhibition laps around the world-famous Isle of Man TT Course. He is also a fan of Manchester United.

Career statistics

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

All time

Year Series Races Poles Podiums Wins 2nd place 3rd place Fast Laps Titles
All Time World Superbike (WSB) 30 6 11 3 2 6 8 0
All Time World Supersport (WSS) 17 10 10 5 3 2 9 1
All Time British Superbike (BSB) 50 4 13 2 4 7 0 0
All Time British Supersport (BSS) 36 0 17 8 4 5 0 1

Yearly breakdown

British Supersport Championship

Year Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pos Pts Ref
2004 Honda SIL
7
BHI
Ret
SNE
Ret
OUL
5
MON
5
SNE
15
BHGP KNO
7
MAL
7
CRO
9
CAD
Ret
OUL
7
DON
7
10th 75
2005 Honda BHI
Ret
THR
7
MAL
4
OUL
2
MON
4
CRO KNO
8
SNE
3
SIL
3
CAD
1
OUL
1
DON
Ret
BHGP
3
3rd* 161
2006 Honda BHI
2
DON
1
THR
3
OUL
2
MON MAL
1
SNE
2
KNO
1
OUL
1
CRO
Ret
CAD
3
SIL
1
BHGP
1
1st 242

British Superbike Championship

Year Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pos Pts Ref
R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2
2007 Suzuki BHGP
13
BHGP
18
THR
7
THR
Ret
SIL
11
SIL
7
OUL
7
OUL
Ret
SNE
8
SNE
Ret
MON
8
MON
Ret
KNO
11
KNO
Ret
OUL
5
OUL
Ret
MAL
9
MAL
5
CRO
4
CRO
13
CAD
5
CAD
4
DON
Ret
DON
Ret
BHI
5
BHI
3
9th 152
2008 Honda BHGP
C
BHGP
C
THR
2
THR
1
OUL
6
OUL
Ret
BHGP
3
BHGP
1
DON
6
DON
3
SNE
4
SNE
3
MAL
3
MAL
3
OUL
6
OUL
2
KNO
Ret
KNO
7
CAD
5
CAD
13
CRO
4
CRO
3
SIL
2
SIL
Ret
BHI
2
BHI
4
3rd 318 [43]

World Supersport Championship

Year Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pos Pts Ref
2005 Honda QAT AUS ESP ITA EUR
Ret
SMR CZE GBR
10
NED GER ITA FRA 27th 6 [44]
2006 Honda QAT AUS ESP ITA EUR SMR CZE GBR
5
NED GER ITA FRA 29th 11 [45]
2009 Yamaha AUS
4
QAT
3
SPA
1
NED
2
ITA
1
RSA
2
USA
3
SMR
1
GBR
1
CZE
Ret
GER
1
ITA
Ret
FRA
2
POR
4
1st 243 [11]

World Superbike Championship

Year Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pos Pts Ref
R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2
2008 Honda QAT QAT AUS AUS ESP ESP NED NED ITA ITA USA USA GER GER SMR SMR CZE CZE GBR GBR EUR
Ret
EUR
2
ITA ITA FRA FRA POR
4
POR
9
23rd 27 [46]
2010 Yamaha AUS
Ret
AUS
9
POR
14
POR
3
SPA
7
SPA
9
NED
8
NED
Ret
ITA
3
ITA
Ret
RSA
8
RSA
4
USA
11
USA
3
SMR
Ret
SMR
4
CZE
3
CZE
14
GBR
1
GBR
1
GER
3
GER
4
ITA
10
ITA
3
FRA
1
FRA
2
5th 284 [47]

Grand Prix motorcycle racing

By season

Season Class Motorcycle Team Number Race Win Podium Pole FLap Pts Plcd
2011 MotoGP Yamaha YZR-M1 Monster Yamaha Tech 3 35 16 0 0 0 0 70 12th
2012 MotoGP Yamaha YZR-M1 Monster Yamaha Tech 3 35 18 0 2 0 1 151 7th
2013 MotoGP Yamaha YZR-M1 Monster Yamaha Tech 3 35 18 0 4 2 0 188 5th
2014 MotoGP Ducati GP14 Ducati Team 35 17 0 1 0 0 74 13th
2015 MotoGP Honda RC213V CWM LCR Honda 35 18 0 1 0 0 125 8th
2016 MotoGP Honda RC213V LCR Honda 35 18 2 4 1 3 141 7th
2017 MotoGP Honda RC213V LCR Honda 35 4 0 1 0 0 29* 7th
Total 109 2 13 3 4 778

* Season still in progress.

By class

Class Seasons 1st GP 1st Pod 1st Win Race Win Podiums Pole FLap Pts WChmp
MotoGP 2011 – present 2011 Qatar 2012 Czech Republic 2016 Czech Republic 109 2 13 3 4 778 0
Total 2011 – present 109 2 13 3 4 778 0

Races by year

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Class Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Pos Pts
2011 MotoGP Yamaha QAT
11
SPA
8
POR
8
FRA
Ret
CAT
7
GBR
DNS
NED
14
ITA
Ret
GER
14
USA
Ret
CZE
Ret
IND
11
RSM
10
ARA
9
JPN
11
AUS
Ret
MAL
C
VAL
4
12th 70
2012 MotoGP Yamaha QAT
4
SPA
4
POR
5
FRA
8
CAT
5
GBR
6
NED
5
GER
8
ITA
6
USA
5
IND
Ret
CZE
3
RSM
Ret
ARA
4
JPN
Ret
MAL
Ret
AUS
3
VAL
Ret
7th 151
2013 MotoGP Yamaha QAT
5
AME
4
SPA
5
FRA
2
ITA
3
CAT
Ret
NED
3
GER
2
USA
7
IND
5
CZE
17
GBR
7
RSM
6
ARA
6
MAL
6
AUS
4
JPN
7
VAL
Ret
5th 188
2014 MotoGP Ducati QAT
6
AME
Ret
ARG SPA
Ret
FRA
11
ITA
Ret
CAT
Ret
NED
9
GER
10
IND
8
CZE
Ret
GBR
12
RSM
9
ARA
3
JPN
Ret
AUS
Ret
MAL
Ret
VAL
5
13th 74
2015 MotoGP Honda QAT
7
AME
7
ARG
3
SPA
4
FRA
Ret
ITA
Ret
CAT
Ret
NED
6
GER
7
IND
8
CZE
Ret
GBR
Ret
RSM
11
ARA
7
JPN
6
AUS
7
MAL
5
VAL
9
8th 125
2016 MotoGP Honda QAT
Ret
ARG
Ret
AME
17
SPA
11
FRA
Ret
ITA
11
CAT
6
NED
Ret
GER
2
AUT
15
CZE
1
GBR
2
RSM
8
ARA
5
JPN
5
AUS
1
MAL
Ret
VAL
Ret
7th 141
2017 MotoGP Honda QAT
Ret
ARG
3
AME
4
SPA
Ret
FRA
5
ITA
Ret
CAT
11
NED
4
GER
10
CZE AUT GBR RSM ARA JPN AUS MAL VAL 10th* 64*

* Season still in progress.

References

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