As it’s almost a given that Cal Crutchlow will be taking Ben Spies’ vacated ride over at Tech 3 when the Texan moves into the Yamaha factory team, what is the general consensus on Cal’s success in the top tier racing class?
I fear he’ll do marginally better than Toseland, but at least he may have the option of a Moto2 ride if things don’t pan out.
In Moto2 I think he’d cause a stir, and it’s a shame he couldn’t have gone there this year instead of what amounts really as a wasted year in WSB (no chance of winning the championship and not really any transferable skills to gain).
Good luck to him though and it’d be great if he can upset the status quo next year.
I know Cal, and I think he’s got the right stuff, but there’s a big leap between his approach and shall we say Ben Spies who A) he followed with just a year in WSB, and B) he’s replacing.
I rate him definitely, the terrier quality is immense and he isn’t swanning around with Piano crap, he’s race or nothing, but I always fear that there’s something in the average English head that just doesn’t help us when competing… doesn’t matter what the sport, there is a hobble in English competitors, that just holds us back… I know you can point to hundreds of English success stories, but I’m not sure grit equals sufficient ability to ride around the myriad complexities of a prototype in the same way you can with a relatively stock machine…
I’m 60/40 here. He’ll do a Toseland, impress and then fade, and struggle to overcome the fade…whether he manages that will be the making of him… good or bad.
