Thailand MotoGP: Cal Crutchlow: Fabio Quartararo will push for wins, ‘uncrackable’

Yamaha test rider and RNF replacement Cal Crutchlow believes the factory’s MotoGP title leader Fabio Quartararo will continue to push for wins after extending his advantage to 18-points.
Fabio Quartararo, Francesco Bagnaia , Japanese MotoGP. 23 September
Fabio Quartararo, Francesco Bagnaia , Japanese MotoGP. 23 September

Although Quartararo only managed eighth place last Sunday at Motegi, non-scores for nearest championship rivals 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Francesco Bagnaia and 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Aleix Espargaro means the young 💟Frenchman has strengthened his positioned at the top ofꦑ the table with four rounds to go.

“I think Fabio will push for the wins,” saidಞ Crutchlow, speaking on the e🦩ve of this weekend’s Buriram round in Thailand.

“He is so strong mentally with his mind-set, the confidence he has on the bike and his feeling. And he’s sort of uncrackable. If som🐟ething happens, he f൲orgets about it.

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“I understand the siᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ🍌⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚtuation he had in Motegi. The bikes he’s racing against, it’s so difficult to pass them.

“I found that myself in the race - it took me three laps to pass each guy, because you need to get such a run on them. Or wait for them to have not-the-best exit on a corner or sᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚomething.

“Th𝐆e problem is every per💖son you pass is faster than the one before and he was up against race winners and podium finishers this year.

“So Motegi wasn’t easy but Iꦏ think if he would have started on the front row or had a better start - his pace was good for the podium.

“And now we are coming to some circuits that will be more friendly💟 to him and to our bike.”

Cal Crutchlow, MotoGP, Japanese MotoGP, 24 September
Cal Crutchlow, MotoGP, Japanese MotoGP, 24 September

Crutchlow: Strange track, strange weather

After a 14th at Aragon, then 15th at Motegi, Buriram will be the next&nbཧsp;evဣent of Crutchlow’s unexpected six-race MotoGP ‘comeback’ in place of the retired Andrea Dovizioso at RNF.

The Englishman can also count on some previous MotoGP knowledge of the circuit, having taken part in both the previous 2018 and 2019 T𓂃hai evꦐents.

“It’s a strange tr♕ack. I liked it the first time I came 🌳here when I did the test,” Crutchlow said of the Buriram circuit. “Then the first race in 2018 was good, I finished seventh but only six-seconds off the winner. It was quite a close race.

“The second year I blew൩ a brake disc and brake pad, so rode the whole race with metal-on-metal and the bike was pulling to one side! So that wasn’t great but I understood why.”

Those races were both in the dry, b🌠ut wet weather is currently forecဣast throughout this weekend.

“It will be a strange situation with the weather. I was hoping for another dry weekend but was also OK in the rain [in qualifying in Japan] except I kept getting my laps cancelled - I never understood the rules! I think my lap time could have been good ☂enough for 14th on the grid," said Crutchlow.

“This weekend, if we can get one dry session it൩ makes it easier for engineers to have the data in case of a dry race. Whereas if you have everything wet and then a dry race, it’s going to be an upside-down field. But we’ll see.

Cal Crutchlow, MotoGP race, Japanese MotoGP, 25 September
Cal Crutchlow, MotoGP race, Japanese MotoGP, 25 September

“The bikes are easier to ride physically in the wet of course, although using the devices i🧸n the rain and then having to essentially top out the rear spring [to unlock it again], shows how hard we are braking in the rain.

“I used to ride a bike with just a throttle, brake, clutch and the map buttons. Now there are levers on🤪 handlebars [for the ride-height devices] and buttons everywhere!

“For someone old like me it is quite hard to understand, hence why I started the last race with no front device or rear device! Then I pressed the launch control button 0.6s before I let the c🦩lutch out! I was still holding the thing [down] while I was going away!”

After a shortened Motegi schedule, MotoG💜P will return to two free practice sessions at Buriram on Friday, weather permitting.

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