Cal Crutchlow says a lack of physical strength is his number one limitation as his comeback to MotoGP racing got underway at the Italian Grand Prix on Friday.
The British rider, who is stepping in to replace the injured Johann Zarco at the LCR Honda team, was last on the timesheets in the afternoon practice session at Mugello. His best lap was over a second shy of that set by fellow injury substitute Michele Pirro, who was one spot ahead of him.
But Pirro, who is taking the place of Alex Marquez at Gresini Ducati, is a regular aboard a MotoGP bike thanks to his Ducati testing role. Crutchlow, on the other hand, hadn’t raced one for the better part of three years before his preparatory test at Misano earlier this week.
The 40-year-old stayed out of trouble on Friday at Mugello, but told media at the end of the day that a lack of strength was the main thing holding him back at this stage.
“I feel okay riding, honestly,” said the man from Coventry. “Physically, though, I just lost the power at the end of that session.
“If I ride around at a certain pace, I’m fine. If I try to push, I haven’t got it. But I’ve come from riding my bicycle to trying to ride a MotoGP bike around Mugello.
“These changes of direction are really difficult because they’re on throttle. That’s my thing. If [I] change direction and you’re off throttle, I’m fine. But physically, I’m just not in the shape that I used to be.
“I feel quite good on the bike. I have a good feeling, I give good feedback, I understand the bike straight away, which is the main thing. The Honda’s a great bike. I think they’ve made massive steps since last year and the year before… but the bike’s definitely better than me!
“It will come, you know, with more riding and stuff like that.”
Cal Crutchlow, Team LCR Honda
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
How much more riding can Crutchlow expect? While he has only been confirmed for this race, Zarco will be out for several weeks at least. And the next race, in Hungary, forms a double-header with the Italian Grand Prix as a busy stretch of the calendar gets underway.
Whether or not Crutchlow does turn up for more races on the LCR Honda, he underlined that he was not looking for a full-time comeback.
“People seem to think… that I am trying to come back to racing full-time. This is not happening, you know. Not in any championship. Not in the Baggers, in MotoGP, nothing. I’m not trying to do this because I want to come back racing full-time. This is short.
“So yeah, what will come of it is what will come of it. But I’m enjoying the moment.”
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