Crutchlow on the grid for Motegi
Yamaha has officially announced that Cal Crutchlow will be a special entry in the Japanese Motul Grand Prix, Round 14 of the 2023 FIM MotoGP World Championship.
Crutchlow will ride a specially painted YAMALUBE RS4GP Racing Team YZR-M1 at the Mobility Resort Motegi (formerly known as Twin Ring Motegi) circuit during the race weekend from September 29 to October 1.
As the official rider of the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Test Team, Crutchlow is the ideal choice for the YAMALUBE RS4GP Team for their one-off MotoGP entry.
The British rider’s entry into the 2023 Japan GP marks his first Yamaha wild card experience since he began joining the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Test Team in 2021. However, he has competed 10 GPs between 2021-2022 as a replacement rider.
Cal Crutchlow
“I am delighted to have the opportunity to race at Motegi with the YAMALUBE RS4GP Racing Team. As an Official Yamaha Test Driver, I do all I can to help develop the M1. GP in Japan is a good opportunity to test prototype items in a race setting. I’m looking forward to working with the YAMALUBE RS4GP Team, starting with the upcoming test in August. I’m sure we’ll have a great time together. We will work hard to collect as much valuable information for Yamaha as possible.”
With the upcoming wildcard entry for the Japanese Grand Prix, Yamaha aims to have Crutchlow work on analyzing prototype parts in a top class racing scene.
By placing Crutchlow alongside Yamaha MotoGP riders Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli on the track of one of Japan’s biggest races, Yamaha asserts their mission to advance their bike development.
Kazutoshi Seki – Project Leader YMC MotoGP
“I believe this wild card will be an important turning point to improve the performance of YZR-M1. The engineers are working very hard and Cal’s entry to the Japanese GP benefits the YZR-M1 improvement for the factory team – not just for this season but for the next..”
