Photo: motogp.com
Cal Crutchlow will be back aboard his Ducati Desmosedici GP14 machine in the Gran Premio bwin de Espana at Jerez de la Frontera in Spain.
Crutchlow had a weekend to forget in Austin at the Circuit of the Americas, as he crashed out of the race only two laps after he was forced to swap the bikes due to dangerous vibrations in his rear wheel. Though his crash looked very nasty, the Isle of Man rider only suffered a minor fracture and a dislocated right little finger. After further medical investigations in San Diego, doctors recommended that a small surgery be performed to help his injury heal faster.
Everything went well with the surgery, but the pain in his hand prevented him from traveling to Argentina and racing at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit. Ducati chose the works test rider Michele Pirro for substituting for Cructhlow, but Pirro was unable to score any points in Argentina, finishing the race in the 17th position.
Cal was back home in the Isle of Man, trying to get ready for the first European race of the season. "My hand is getting better every day, but I still have some pain and it’s definitely going to be difficult to ride this weekend. I’ll try and see how it is from Friday and do the best job I can. Jerez is surely one of the toughest circuits to come back and ride at after my crash. It’s a really great track, and the crowd are great as well, but really I’m just excited about joining up with the team again and getting back on the bike," he adds.
Ducati will also field Michele Pirro at Jerez, aboard the development bike as a wildcard appearance. The first outing for Crutchlow will take place Friday morning, as the MotoGP Free Practice 1 will kick off at 09:55 local time (GMT+2).
Cal Crutchlow is currently 15th in the current world standing, with 10 points, 1 down from Honda’s Scott Redding and Pramac Ducati’s Yonny Hernandez and 5 points adrift Hiroshi Aoyama.
Everything went well with the surgery, but the pain in his hand prevented him from traveling to Argentina and racing at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit. Ducati chose the works test rider Michele Pirro for substituting for Cructhlow, but Pirro was unable to score any points in Argentina, finishing the race in the 17th position.
Cal was back home in the Isle of Man, trying to get ready for the first European race of the season. "My hand is getting better every day, but I still have some pain and it’s definitely going to be difficult to ride this weekend. I’ll try and see how it is from Friday and do the best job I can. Jerez is surely one of the toughest circuits to come back and ride at after my crash. It’s a really great track, and the crowd are great as well, but really I’m just excited about joining up with the team again and getting back on the bike," he adds.
Ducati will also field Michele Pirro at Jerez, aboard the development bike as a wildcard appearance. The first outing for Crutchlow will take place Friday morning, as the MotoGP Free Practice 1 will kick off at 09:55 local time (GMT+2).
Cal Crutchlow is currently 15th in the current world standing, with 10 points, 1 down from Honda’s Scott Redding and Pramac Ducati’s Yonny Hernandez and 5 points adrift Hiroshi Aoyama.
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