MOTORSPORT: COVENTRY’s Cal Crutchlow expressed his gratitude to his LCR Honda team after claiming his first podium finish of the new MotoGP season in Argentina.
Crutchlow completed an excellent weekend in South America by finishing third in Sunday’s grand prix after starting from the front row in the grid.
The 31-year-old was always fighting at the head of the field and went on to claim his first podium of the new MotoGP World Championship season as he comfortably finished as the best-placed Honda rider.
“It was nice to take a podium place for the LCR Honda team after what happened in Qatar, I’m very happy to take a third place to be honest,” said Crutchlow.
“I think we did a good job to manage things and bring the bike home in a podium position. Qatar was a disaster for me and the team as I felt strong there and believed I could get a good result, but to get a podium in the first two races is good. I’m really pleased for the team.”
A decent start saw Crutchlow settle in second behind early pacesetter Marc Marquez. But the charging Spaniard would crash out on lap four leaving the LCR Honda man to dispute the podium places with the factory Yamahas of Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi.
Viñales proved too strong as he pulled clear to make it two wins from two in the premier class, while Rossi eventually prevailed in the battle for second.
But Crutchlow declared himself delighted with his efforts, especially after revealing he was forced to manage his speed for much of the race after seeing a warning light on the dashboard of his RC213V in the early stages.
He added: “I had to manage the race right from the very start as I had a warning light on the dash, but I didn’t panic and when Maverick (Viñales) came past I just decided to follow and see if I could control the situation – which I did.
“Once Vale (Valentino Rossi) came on to me I decided to try and push again, but the light came back on so I had to slow down and try to manage the rest of the race as best I could. Vale came past me as he seemed to have a bit more grip than me, but we know the Honda bike is quite difficult to ride at the moment.”
