It has been a whirlwind ten months for Coventry’s own Cal Crutchlow, the 23 year old finished up the British Superbike season in scintillating style as he managed to overhaul championship rival Tom Sykes for third place in the championship at the final round at Brands Hatch, before parting ways with his colleagues and the British race fans as he embarked on a new challenge on the world stage.
Signing a deal with the factory Yamaha Supersport team, Cal quickly impressed his fellow competitors in his opening outing at Portimao with a dazzling display of quick and consistent times, competing just outside the times of the Superbikes.
Upon entering the championship Cal renewed an old rivalry with former British Supersport rider Eugene Laverty and despite competing in a field that has a wealth of depth with riders such as 2 time WSS champion Andrew Pitt, 2007 WSS champion Kenan Sofuoglu, rising star Joan Lascorz, former MotoGP star, Anthony West and many more, it has been the two former British Supersport stars who have taken the series by storm and the two riders enter the final four rounds of the championship separated by just seventeen points.
Their lap record pace and dazzling performances have made them hot property in the rider market for 2010. Normal career progression would have seen the pair progress to the Superbike category, however with the modification being made to the 250cc division in 2010, team managers have been looking towards the World Supersport category for competitive and reliable riders who will hit the floor running when the new campaign gets underway next April.
A potential switch to Moto2 could be made more attractive to the rider with the option of a performance related MotoGP switch in 2011. At present Cal has been obtaining a great deal of interest from team officials as they attempt to set up their new projects, with allegedly Fausto Gresini and Herve Poncharal both interested in acquiring Crutchlow’s services for 2010. Both managers currently run teams in the MotoGP paddock and both have a pedigree for success.
It is also widely rumoured that Cal will have the option to step up to the factory World Superbike team in 2010 if he chooses to make the switch.
Arguably the World Superbike series is the strongest it has been for a number of years, with an immense wealth of talent filling the factory and satellite rosters, so while it is a good proving ground for riders to show their natural ability, it is also a risky time bomb where a rider could spend several seasons attempting to work their way into the spotlight. The field is also flooded with British talent at present, with Johnny Rea, Shane Byrne, Tom Sykes and Leon Haslam all looking to make their mark on the world stage, while Tommy Hill and several other candidates from BSB will look at possibilities within the SBK paddock for 2010.
At the end of the day it all comes down to what a rider wants from their career. If their aim is to reach the pinnacle of Superbikes, where the racing is close, competitive and friendly then obviously World Superbikes is the category to aim towards. If you want to ride in the premier class, with the top names in the sport in an equally competitive, but maybe more business like environment then maybe a step towards Moto2 might be the way to look.
If past experience has taught us anything it is that moving from a superbike to the 800cc monsters in the MotoGP paddock doesn’t exactly go hand in hand. Many riders have tried to make the transition between the two and for whatever reason haven’t quite gelled with the machinery to the level that they would have hoped.
MotoGP is becoming less about pointing the bike in the right direction and squirting the throttle and more about the art of carrying corner speed from section to section of the track. This is exactly the reason why it lends itself so kindly to the current crop of 250cc riders and why it will also allow Supersport riders to show their talents to the world.
To truly be a success in MotoGP it would be beneficial to make the move to the Moto2 paddock and put yourself in the spotlight of the team managers, what better place to shine than right under their noses. It would also be good for British riders to make the jump to the premier class at a younger age. The recent acquisitions to the premier class haven’t been particularly young when making their debuts. Neil Hodgson, James Toseland, Shane Byrne were all in their late twenties before making the switch.
Obviously there is an element of risk in moving to Moto2 in it’s inaugural season, no one is quite sure what teams will be competitive, how close the racing will be or how reliable the machinery might be. However, with teams like Tech 3 and Gresini looking to build junior teams that will help feed their MotoGP project and with their wealth of racing experience and expertise you would have to imagine that they will be competitive from the start.
It will certainly be a tough call for Cal over the coming weeks, make the right move and you could be in the MotoGP paddock in 2011 on a competitive package, get it wrong and you could stunt your career for several seasons, that is the risk involved in these high profile decisions. Cal has a good team behind him who will help guide him over these times and I’m sure that 2010 is going to be an exciting year.
The only thing we are all waiting for now is for Noel to ask Cal “Moto2, Deal or No Deal?”
Photo by Moto Professional
- Cal Crutchlow photos
