LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow claimed a first podium since his victory in Argentina as he took third place in last Sunday’s San Marino Grand Prix at Misano. The Briton produced a patient ride and at the end, Ducati’s Jorge Lorenzo crashed out on the penultimate lap allowing him into the top three.
Starting from sixth on the grid, Crutchlow chose to bide his time initially, but eventually got past Maverick Vinales and Alex Rins to lap in solo fourth for the latter part of the race. Lorenzo’s unfortunate finish then gave the 32-year-old a welcome boost and the result sees Crutchlow move into sixth place in the championship standings – just 11 points off Lorenzo in fourth.
“The team did a fantastic job, this is a very important round for them, I was disappointed not to race at mine two weeks ago, so we put everything into this one. We tried our best, sure we got lucky with the crash of Lorenzo at the end, but as I said, I don’t really care because we did a good job. I’m proud of my team and we now go to Aragon in good shape”, Crutchlow said.
“I lost one second (behind Vinales and Rins) and that just stopped me being there with Marc [Marquez] and Jorge, but that’s the way it goes. I wasn’t willing to push at the start of the race as much as I could and Rins passed me. But overall we have to be very pleased for the Team and we head into the rest of the year in good shape.”
Crutchlow: We got lucky at Misano but I don’t really care because we did a good job
Meanwhile, Takaaki Nakagami claimed 13th position in San Marino. The Japanese rookie started from the seventh row of the grid, but built on a good start to finish in the points for the sixth time this season, eventually crossing the line just over five seconds off the top ten.
“It was a really long race and it was hot, but it was the best conditions we’ve had all weekend. I had a really good start and overtook a few riders at the beginning of the race and tried to follow the main group. From the beginning to the end, my lap times were nearly the same, I didn’t make any mistakes and was consistent which allowed us to take some points. “I’m happy with this result, it’s only a few points, but it’s important for me as it was a difficult weekend. I want to thank my team who did a really great job and gave me a good bike and let’s see what we can do at the next race in Aragon”, Nakagami explained.
Photos from today by @CormacGP! ????? #SanMarinoGP pic.twitter.com/rtimPbFjhi
— LCR Honda MotoGP (@LCRHondaTeam) September 9, 2018
