Cal Crutchlow is eagerly anticipating his first taste of one of the toughest corners in Grand Prix racing, the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca, this weekend. The California circuit plays host to the United States Grand Prix and presents the British rookie with yet another stern test.
Crutchlow had one of the most difficult weekends of his MotoGP career so far at the Sachsenring last weekend as the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 squad battled with a lack of grip. The Briton crashed at the end of qualifying and a mistake in the closing stages of the race dropped him to a disappointing 14th.
But the 25 year old hopes that the lessons learnt at the Sachsenring will help the team improve the YZR-M1 when they get to Laguna.
“The result last weekend in Germany was a bit disappointing but I’m ready to bounce back in Laguna Seca and fight for a top ten where I know I should be. I’m still searching for some more confidence in the front-end, but all of us in the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team are working non-stop to improve the situation and we’ve got a few ideas to try and Laguna.”
But there is no question what Crutchlow has on his mind ahead of his first visit to California, and he has admitted he may seek advice from his experienced teammate before taking on the awe-inspiring plunge known as the Corkscrew.
“It is another new track for me but I’m really excited. Laguna Seca is such a famous name and the Corkscrew looks amazing. It looks awesome on TV, so I’m looking forward to getting on the bike on Friday and experiencing it for myself for the first time. I’ll have to ask Colin (Edwards) for some tips, but I’m just concentrating on getting a decent result that we can build on for the rest of the season. The last few races have been quite difficult but I’ll be working harder than ever this weekend to put things right.”
