– Cal Crutchlow is back! Few would have expected this headline before the Italian Grand Prix this weekend. Even the Brit himself was surprised by the request that reached him just a few days ago.
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He replaces the injured Johann Zarco at LCR-Honda in Mugello, marking his return to the MotoGP starting grid for the first time since the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix. Crutchlow had not anticipated moving a Grand Prix bike again after almost three years of racing hiatus.
“I actually only came back because you still have this whole PR game. So I thought I’d just say everything straight out,” the 40-year-old opened his media session on Thursday with his usual dry humor, then explained how spontaneous his return really was.
Why Cal Crutchlow hesitated at first
On Monday, Crutchlow received the decisive call from LCR. “They told me the team wanted me to come back and race.” At first, he quickly dismissed the idea. Above all, his wife Lucy played a central role in the decision. “She said to me: ‘Our whole life has always been an adventure. Why should we stop now?'”
Only after that did Crutchlow seriously start to consider whether a race physically would still be realistic. Because the experienced Briton immediately understood the risk a MotoGP comeback without proper preparation would entail.
“It wouldn’t have been right to just go out in FP1 after such a long time and crash at 360 km/h in turn 1,” he explains. Therefore, Honda quickly organized a test in Misano, where Crutchlow completed several laps on a current MotoGP machine for the first time last Wednesday.
Photo gallery: The career highlights of Cal Crutchlow
His judgment is honestly self-critical: “Today I feel like I was hit by a bus.” Nevertheless, the test motivated him at the same time.
Everything was “weird,” from the feeling for the bike to the ergonomics. The current bikes have changed massively since his last race, for example the position on the motorcycle. He does not feel particularly comfortable yet. Added to that is a sore thumb caused by old gloves during the test run. “That’s not a great start,” he says with a grin.
That the former LCR rider still agreed is mainly due to the close connection to the team. He would not have taken the step for another manufacturer: “If Ducati had called, I wouldn’t have done it. If Aprilia had called, neither. I’m doing it because Lucio and the team asked me.”
At the test initially “ten seconds too slow”
Sportingly, Crutchlow expects no miracles and, as usual, pokes fun at himself when looking at his test times. “On the track, I thought: No one can go faster than me here. That’s impossible. I was at the limit,” he reveals. But the timing monitor said otherwise: “I was ten seconds too slow.”
During the day, the times improved significantly, but reality was quickly made clear to him. “The bikes are hard to ride. But not necessarily harder than before. I just haven’t ridden for an extremely long time.”
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Physically, Mugello remains an experiment above all. According to Crutchlow, he is still excellently trained. Last year alone, he covered 27,500 kilometers on the racing bike, and this year already another 12,000 kilometers. But motorcycle fitness is something completely different. “As soon as I notice that I can’t physically manage it anymore, we have to reassess the situation.”
Whether the race in Mugello remains a one-time thing or if more races could follow, Crutchlow deliberately leaves open. Initially, it is solely about improving session by session. “I have to make progress every time,” he said. The key is above all to rebuild trust in the motorcycle.
If the weekend proves satisfactory, Crutchlow could be contracted for longer. According to LCR team boss Lucio Cecchinello, Zarco, who will now undergo knee surgery, will probably be out for several months.
“The knee will be 100 percent restored after the operation,” he assures. “But it will take time. That’s just the reality.” In addition, the doctor wants to wait a bit longer with the surgery so that other injuries in the leg can heal first. Only then will he be able to give more precise information about the recovery time. “But it’s a few months. It definitely takes a few months.”
Crutchlow sees parallels to LCR colleague Zarco
Crutchlow has known Zarco for years and still speaks very respectfully about him. He even sees certain parallels to himself. “Johann reminds me of myself,” says the Brit. “He doesn’t like all the bullshit around racing. He just wants to ride a motorcycle.” Above all, Zarco’s work ethic impresses him.
“I don’t think Johann is the most talented rider on the grid. But he works extremely hard to get the best out of himself, just like I used to,” Crutchlow notes.
That the 40-year-old is racing in MotoGP again is also a reflection of the special situation at Honda. After Zarco’s injury, LCR lacked alternatives at short notice. On the one hand, there is test rider Takaaki Nakagami, who is currently focusing on developing the new 850cc project for 2027.
On the other hand, there is Aleix Espargaro, who is himself injured. So the choice ultimately fell on the man who shaped the most successful phase in LCR team history between 2015 and 2020, including three MotoGP wins and twelve podiums.
And of course, Cal Crutchlow would not be Cal Crutchlow if he didn’t sum it all up at the end with a typical phrase. “Honestly, I don’t think anyone else would do this,” he says. “And I also don’t think anyone else would be crazy enough for it.”
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