Moto GP ; Brno disappoinment for Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith

There were high expectations for Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith at Brno. Crutchlow had blazed to amazing second pole position, while Smith has qualified sixth, instead before even half of the race distance was completed, both riders suffered crashes.

Smith went down in the second lap at turn 9 when he was behind Valentino Rossi, and unable to return to track due to a broken handlebar, while team mate Crutchlow was trying to bridge the gap with the front runners trying to shake off Alvaro Bautista and Valentino Rossi, made a mistake and lowsided out in lap 8.

The soon-to-be Ducati rider managed to remount and returned to the field in 20th and managed to make up three places with a damaged M1, but didn’t get any points.

“Obviously I am disappointed after qualifying in pole position but I had to push really hard to try and get away from Bautista and Rossi. Lorenzo made an incredible start and his first lap was really strong and that put us all under pressure. I was happy with my pace and I felt comfortable but then I made a mistake. I was trying to get myself back in contention for the podium and I lost the front. I am sure I could have finished fourth but I got back on a damaged bike and set a fast and consistent pace and I never gave up. It is not the best preparation for my home race at Silverstone but I go there knowing I have the pace and that I can be challenging at the front. I am really excited for Silverstone and I know the support from the British fans will be incredible, so hopefully I can give them something to cheer about,” said Crutchlow.

“The race ended far too soon and it is not the way we wanted a positive weekend to end,”said Smith. “I don’t feel I did anything different in that corner and I felt comfortable and the bike felt very good. The improvements we made on a full fuel tank made the bike much better in the early part of the race but I got caught out in Turn 9. The data showed I accelerated a fraction earlier and those small margins can make all the difference. Unfortunately the handlebar was broken so I couldn’t get back in the race. But in my rookie season this can happen when you are pushing to try and learn and build experience. At least I don’t have to wait long for Silverstone. I’m disappointed with today but highly motivated to build on the positive points we gained here. Racing at home is always special but this will be my first MotoGP race at Silverstone and I can’t wait.”

via TWOWHEELSBLOG