MotoGP OFFICIAL: Cal Crutchlow joins Yamaha as test rider

Cal Crutchlow joins Yamaha as their test rider for 2021, replacing Jorge Lorenzo.

Cal Crutchlow has been officially confirmed as the 2021 Yamaha test rider, leaving Honda after 6 seasons on the Honda RC213V with the LCR Honda squad.

The move means he will replace Jorge Lorenzo as the Yamaha test rider with the pair not jelling as well as they would like for various reasons we will not get into here.

Crutchlow’s full-time riding career will end at the MotoGP finale this season at Portimao as he steps back into his testing role, riding the Yamaha YZR-M1 for the first time since 2013 at the Sepang test in 14th – 16th February.

Yamaha have confirmed a wildcard is also part of the deal if they feel that this will be beneficial.

Lin Jarvis: Well, first and foremost I would like to say ‘welcome back’ to Cal.

I still remember Cal’s first visit to YMR many years ago as fresh World Supersport Champion and recall he expressed his desire to move onwards and upwards to MotoGP in the future. After the initial move to Superbikes, he then spent three seasons with us in the Monster Energy Yamaha Tech3 team before moving on to gain a further seven years of experience with two of our main competitors. This wealth of experience, coupled with Cal’s honest no-nonsense approach, will surely benefit us greatly as we strive to improve our YZR-M1 bikes with a full testing programme next year.

Of course, we had planned and hoped for a strong programme this year with Jorge. Unfortunately, our Factory Test Team soon had to put their plans on hold as the Covid-19 pandemic started and continued to influence 2020 from March onwards. It’s regrettable that we have not been able to carry out our testing programme and realize our goals. We wish Jorge all the best in his future endeavours, and we thank him for his many years of collaboration with Yamaha.

Featured image – www.motogp.com