Crutchlow: Honda has done what we asked

It may only be day one at the first MotoGP test of the year, but early signs suggest Honda - winner of 2017's Triple Crown - is on the right course, after Cal Crutchlow said he was “pleased” and “very happy” with HRC’s 2018 engine.

The Englishman was ninth fastest at the end of Sunday’s running after testing three 2018 machine specs – each equipped with the same engine – throughout a day that saw one minor spill.

That was no great worry to Crutchlow, however, who said Honda has “been able to do … what we’ve asked for.” The 31-year old went as far as saying the upcoming season could represent his “best chance” to perform well in the championship since joining MotoGP in 2011.

“I know a few of the others have got something different but don’t read too much into it,” said Crutchlow. "I don’t know what I’m allowed or not allowed to say. All I know is that I’ve got the same spec on all three bikes.

“We’re very happy with what they’ve done – very happy. They’ve worked very hard on the engine, as we know it’s the first thing that’s sealed. We’re pleased with the performance of it. Still, we’ve seen its the early phases of 2018. We’ve got a little while until they have to be sealed but what we’ve asked for, they’ve been able to do.”

Having ridden Yamaha and Ducati machinery in the past, Crutchlow often spoke of the levels of strength needed to muscle Honda’s RC213V into, through and out of turns.

Ensuring the bike was less demanding and more forgiving was chief among his requests for the 2018 bike. While speaking glowingly of the new motor, which possesses more torque than last year’s spec, Crutchlow feels there is still some way to go before the RC213V can be considered a more manageable machine.

Asked whether the new bike is easier to ride, Crutchlow said, “For me, not at the moment. It’s got some more torque and we can control that with the electronics. And you can also control that with your right wrist. If you haven’t got it, it makes life more difficult.

“We’re definitely pleased with what they’ve done with regards to the engine. Yes, I have three bikes and they are three different specs. I’m set to be busy. I am testing things and doing a lot of stuff for Honda but we are here to race. That’s our main aim – to be competitive.

“But I can evaluate things very well for Honda. I got given the job for a good reason and then we also get a lot of help from it. We can help them as well. If there are three riders going well and going in the right direction, then it helps everybody’s cause. I was really happy with today. I was fast. Just not at the end because I never put any [new] tyres in.

‘Overall, I was pleased with our speed considering I did 15 minutes on a motocross bike all winter in my typical style. I expected to be a little slower than what I was today.

“I feel in good shape and feel the team’s doing a good job. Honda is definitely doing a good job. I feel that, maybe like 2013, I have the best chance to do well in the championship this year. We’ll see.”

And what of the electronics, which Crutchlow’s crew chief Christophe Bourguignon said was chief among the team’s focus for this week?

“Again we’re in the same situation that we have to configure them to the engine,” said Crutchlow. “The engine isn’t a different firing order, as you know. With different torque, or different top end maybe, or mid-range, we have to adjust to that. Also that goes for entering the corner and deceleration. Matching that up takes time. That’ll be the biggest thing at the moment again.”

It was a thinner, leaner Crutchlow who greeted the press on Sunday evening. The two-time MotoGP race winner revealed he shed 6.5 kilograms over the winter months thanks to dieting coupled with his usual rigorous cycling regimen.

“[I’ve lost] Six and a half kilos,” he said. “Three of it will go back on from riding one of these things. I’ve got no chest but I’ve done 6,600km on my bicycle and nothing else. Of course you’re going to lose muscle. I was quite happy because my arms weren’t hurting me at all today, and I was expecting they would. That will come later in the season when the stress is there probably.

“I feel good, happy and I always do the same: I go cycling and lose weight. I am lighter than last year – quite a significant amount but I don’t really know why. I have been eating better. You know me; I like ice creams, Mars bars and stuff like that. What I did was I carried on cycling like normal in December and then in January I dieted and cycled.

“I never dieted to a point that I was [going to faint]. I need no food to cycle. I can do five hours riding as hard as possible with one water bottle. But I was eating just normally and no snacking. Then I wasn’t eating after 7pm, stuff like that.

“The problem is, by the time March comes round I’ll have cracked on that diet and gone back to my usual weight. I’m normally faster when I eat well. It’s good fun. Winters can get boring so I do something to try and crack myself.”