Cal Crutchlow said his brakes were the reason for his lousy start at Sunday’s Indianapolis GP.
Crutchlow started the race in fifth, part of an all-satellite second row. But on Turn 2, he ran wide, losing his spot, ending up losing to Pol Espargaro in a battle for seventh (Crutchlow was eighth). The reason for running wide, Crutchlow said, was his brakes. MotoGP bikes use carbon brakes, which must reach a certain operating temperature to provide peak performance, and Crutchlow said his brakes hadn’t warmed up enough.
“The race itself wasn’t too bad, I just had a very bad start,” said Crutchlow. “I lost so many places at the second corner, because when I grabbed the brake lever there wasn’t enough heat in the brakes to stop. It didn’t bite, so I ran wide and it lost me seven places or so.”
Indianapolis’s layout meant overtaking was difficult throughout the race, although Crutchlow did make up some ground. He says now he’s focused on Brno, the track where he earned his first podium in 2012 and where he won pole position in 2013. Chances are, he’s going to make sure his brakes are warm enough to operate on the first lap this time.
Missed opportunities could certainly be this season’s theme for the Brit rider. Crutchlow is currently in eighth place in the standings, with 74 points. Crashes cost him dearly earlier this year; he’s certainly had improved results since moving from Ducati at the end last season, although given the improved performance of the GP15, he’s probably wondering what would have happened if he’d stayed with that factory team.
While a move past fourth-place Andrea Iannone (129 points) seems unlikely at this point in the season unless Crutchlow blows away everyone’s expectations with an unpredicted alien performance, he’s within striking distance of Dani Pedrosa (80 points), Andrea Dovizioso (94 points) and Bradley Smith (97 points). Trouble is, Pedrosa’s probably picking up steam as he continues to recover from his arm pump surgery; barring injury (always a possibility for Pedrosa), he’ll be hard to catch, as he’ll probably increase the barrier between them.
As good as Bradley Smith has been this season, Crutchlow’s managed to beat him at Assen, Jerez, Argentina and Qatar, so we might see the Brits reverse places in the standings yet.
Crutchlow also outduelled Ducati’s Dovizioso at Jerez, Assen, Germany and Indy. Dovizioso has not been getting the results he saw early on, so Crutchlow must feel he can catch him yet.
