MotoGP | GP Qatar Race: Crutchlow, “Nice to be back with a podium!”

MotoGP LCR Honda Qatar GP – Important third place for Cal Crutchlow in the Qatar Grand Prix, the opening round of the 2019 MotoGP world championship. The Englishman from the LCR team drove a careful race, especially safeguarding the rear compound in the first laps of battle with the Suzukis of Alex Rins and Joan Mir.

This aspect allowed him to enjoy a small boost during the final stages of the race, helping him significantly in the battle for the third step of the podium. The Japanese from the Idemitsu team also did well, capable of making the most of his excellent qualifying on Saturday afternoon.

Here are the words of Takaaki Nakagami: “Today was a bit difficult, but I'm really comfortable on the bike and at the start of the race I felt really strong. Last year I struggled to get the speed I wanted after the start, but this time I think I've made a real improvement. I was a bit bothered by Mir and Miller during the race, although the race went well and I'm really happy to finish in the top 10. Obviously we can still improve, but we'll take this P9 without any problems. The team seems happy and so I'm happy too!”.

Here are Cal Crutchlow's assessments: “It's nice to be back in MotoGP, let alone with a podium! The team did a great job this week, as testing wasn't easy as far as I'm concerned. We struggled this whole weekend and if they had described a scenario like this to me before the warm-up I would have laughed. Fortunately I played my cards well and the tactic of saving the rear tire in the first part of the race was intelligent."

“It was a great start to the season for everyone, including the team and the fans here in Qatar. MotoGP is always a battle and it's nice to be there and get on the podium. It's a dream come true to be honest, as at one point we didn't even know if I would come back."he concluded.