DonJigweed
Urban Achiever
Fredo hasn't even taken his first green flag on a MotoGP bike and Honda are sacking Cal to make room for him next to the great Eastern hope.
It has emerged since Pol Espargaró's transfer to Repsol-Honda leaked: LCR-Honda will be driving with Alex Márquez and Takaaki Nakagami in 2021. Crutchlow has to go.
HRC's commitment to Pol Espargaró for 2021 and 2022 has put Honda and Lucio Cecchinello's LCR Honda team in a precarious situation. Because now Moto2 world champion Alex Márquez is a fix starter, but team owner Cecchinello would have preferred to keep his previous driver duo Cal Crutchlow and Takaaki Nakagami.
Because at 34, Crutchlow is always good for a podium, he gave LCR (since 2006 with Honda in the MotoGP class) the first GP victory in Brno in 2016, then two more in Phillip Island in 2016 and in Termas de Río Hondo 2018.
On the other hand, since 2012 LCR has always been considered a talent pool and junior team for HRC. HRC built Moto2 world champion Stefan Bradl there for three years in 2012, then in 2015 Jack Miller, at that time LCR expanded the team to two riders for the first time. But Miller was transferred from HRC to Marc VDS Honda in 2016 and 2017. LCR was again limited to one driver in 2016 and 2017 - Cal Crutchlow. It wasn't until 2018 that HRC darling “Taka” Nakagami came into play as a new MotoGP hope. In the first year of 2018, he delivered a talent test with 6th place in Valencia, but has always had to make do with previous year's machines. That will also be the case in 2020.
It's no secret that the LCR team is heavily subsidized by HRC, otherwise the 12 to 15 million euro budget could not be financed.
The disadvantage: Cecchinello basically has no say in the driver question.
This now led to a dilemma. Honda Racing Corporation had to get a place for Alex Márquez, otherwise brother and series world champion Marc Márquez (new contract until the end of 2024) is bitterly disappointed. It was unreasonable that Alex had to find out that he would be exchanged for Pol Espargaró before he had ever raced a single MotoGP.
Cecchinello is angry, he currently resists interviews with the specialist media, contrary to his custom. The seven-time 125cc GP winner is in a delicate situation. Because after six years he has to part with his beloved top driver Crutchlow.
For Nakagami, on the one hand, HRC paid the driver's fee and supplied the material package at a special price; overall, the HRC contribution for the Japanese should amount to approximately 1.8 million euros per season.
In addition, Nakagami brings a stick of money from the Japanese giant Idemitsu to LCR. This money would have been lost if Alex Márquez and Crutchlow had signed up.
That is why HRC has now decided to fill the LCR team in 2020 with Alex Márquez and Nakagami.
Lucio Cecchinello is not entirely enthusiastic about this formation. Because he made it clear in the spring (before the Pol Espargaró deal) that he wanted to continue with Cal Crutchlow after 2020 because the Englishman guaranteed top positions.
However, the Japanese HRC management with Takeo Yokoyama, Tetsuhiro Kuwata and Shinichi Kokubu is convinced that Pol Espargaró (29) can take on the role of Crutchlow, take podium finishes and do his part to win the constructors' championship.
That is why Crutchlow is sacrificed for the duo Alex Márquez and Nakagami. The Brit, of course, has long been aware of this threat.
That's why he offered himself at Red Bull KTM in June, but World Cup sixth Danilo Petrucci (29) was given preference. Because Crutchlow is not compatible with sponsor Red Bull after twelve monster years. That was already the case in autumn when he was hoping for Lorenzo Square at Repsol-Honda.
Now only Aprilia Racing remains as a temporary solution. Cal Crutchlow would no longer be a contender there. And the Italians, besides Aleix Espargaró, cannot offer the second driver a million-dollar fee as Cal is accustomed to as a three-time MotoGP winner at Honda. The Honda pilot has residences in Tuscany, California and the Isle of Man.
Honda did ask Crutchlow if he wanted to ride alongside Álvaro Bautista in the Superbike factory team in 2021. However, the former super sports world champion from England rejected this offer.
If Cal doesn't reach agreement with Aprilia, his MotoGP career will end in the fall. In August 2017, he suspected that the new HRC two-year contract for 2018 and 2019 could be his last. However, he signed a contract for 2020 so that it would be available when all other works contracts expired.
In addition to Jack Miller, a place in the Ducati factory team is still free. But Andrea Dovizioso will eventually sign again after a tough struggle. With Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati has a joker in hand if necessary.
Cal Crutchlow is no longer wanted in Borgo Panigale after his botched 2014 season (alongside Dovi). Back then he made himself unpopular with the Reds with daily tirades about the Desmosedici.
- Mehr bei SPEEDWEEK.COM: https://www.speedweek.com/motogp/ne...ren-bei-LCR-zu-E28093-rettet-ihn-Aprilia.html
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