Cal Crutchlow - Photo Credit: Tech 3
Cal Crutchlow has revealed he will use the soft rear tyre in tomorrow's Catalunya Grand Prix despite many doubting its durability in the sweltering Spanish weather. The Briton qualified on the front row for the third time this season and says he felt much more comfortable on the soft compound, a key factor in his decision for the race.
“I am really happy to be back on the front row again and it feels great considering this is only the second time I have been to this track. I expected to be up there challenging but wasn’t sure where and my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew did another fantastic job with the bike today. It proves again that I’ve got the raw speed and consistency and now I am really looking forward to the race. It will be really tough if the conditions are the same with the temperature so hot but I am ready for it. This morning I only used an old soft rear tyre and I was still really fast, so I knew when I put in a new soft rear this afternoon that I could be much quicker. I got in a good lap even though I’m not completely comfortable with the set-up and I will definitely run the hard front and soft rear for the race. The hard doesn’t give a big advantage over race distance. Today is a great result and hopefully I can do the same job tomorrow when it really counts.”
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 teammate Andrea Dovizioso held provisional pole inside the final twenty minutes but dropped back to sixth in the final reckoning. The Italian isn't worried by that though as he expects his race pace to be stronger.
“I am really satisfied with the work we have done this weekend but I can’t deny it would have been nice to be on the front row again. Being sixth on the grid is not bad and the most pleasing aspect for me is that my race pace is very fast and consistent. This morning I was able to be much faster than yesterday and hopefully all the work we have put in will pay off tomorrow. The second half of the race is going to be really important if the conditions are as hot as today and tyre choice is going to critical. It seems the Yamaha can’t use the hard rear tyre as well as the soft, but Lorenzo can’t use the soft, so this is a little bit confusing. I will sit down with my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew to carefully consider what the strategy will be with the tyres. I have always been strong at this track and after today’s performance I am expecting a good race.”
