Cal Crutchlow

Cal Crutchlow (born 29 October 1985) is an English professional motorcycle racer who retired from regular competition after the 2020 MotoGP season. A three-time MotoGP race winner, he became the first British man since Barry Sheene in 1981 to win a premier class race at the 2016 Czech Republic Grand Prix. Before joining MotoGP, Crutchlow won the Supersport World Championship and won three races in the Superbike World Championship. Following his retirement, he worked as a test rider for Yamaha in MotoGP, and has served as a replacement rider for both Yamaha and LCR Honda.

After winning the 2006 British Supersport Championship, Crutchlow moved into the British Superbike Championship, where he finished third in 2008. In 2009 he won the Supersport World Championship with Yamaha, and then entered the Superbike World Championship, where he finished fifth in 2010. This was an unconventional route to secure his entry into MotoGP, which he joined in with Monster Yamaha Tech 3. Crutchlow took his first podium finish in MotoGP at the 2012 Czech Republic Grand Prix. His fifth place finish in the standings earned him a move to the factory Ducati team for . After a disappointing season, he moved again to LCR Honda for 2015. He took his maiden MotoGP victory in Brno, followed by another win in Australia. Crutchlow remained with LCR Honda for the rest of his career, achieving his third premier class win in Argentina in 2018. He retired after the truncated 2020 season, in which he did not take a top five finish. He had scored at least one podium for eight consecutive seasons, from to .

Crutchlow served as a MotoGP test rider for Yamaha from 2021 to 2025. During 2021, he returned to race for two Yamaha teams as a replacement rider across four weekends. He also replaced Andrea Dovizioso for the last six events of 2022, after Dovizioso's retirement was announced mid-season. In 2023, he took a wildcard into the Japanese GP. In 2026, Crutchlow made a surprise return to the grid as a replacement rider for his old team LCR Honda, due to Johann Zarco's injury.

In early 2017, the RAC awarded Crutchlow the Torrens Trophy, an accolade given in recognition of "outstanding contribution to motorcycling in the United Kingdom".

Career

Early career Born in Coventry, England, Crutchlow was named Cal after the American motorcycle racer Cal Rayborn. Although his father Derek was a racer, he did not become interested in the sport himself until the age of 11. As of 2007, he did not hold a motorcycle licence for the road. He had football trials with Coventry City and Aston Villa as a youth, but after a knee injury chose to concentrate on motorcycle racing.

Crutchlow won the UK Junior Challenge in 1999, and the Aprilia RS125 Challenge in 2001. He was runner-up in the 2003 Yamaha R6 Cup behind Tommy Hill, who earned a factory sponsored ride in the British Superbike series for this achievement.

Crutchlow won the British Supersport Championship in 2006, after a three-year stint in the series in which he finished third in 2005.

British Superbike Championship

For 2007, Crutchlow made his debut in the prestigious British Superbike Championship, with the Rizla Suzuki team alongside four-time runner-up Chris Walker. He took pole at Croft, and took his first podium with a third place finish at Brands Hatch. He finished ninth overall. For 2008, he moved to HM Plant Honda, sponsored by CIA Insurance. He took his first series win in race 2 at Thruxton. He took pole for round 3 at Oulton Park – he led race 1 before running wide in damp conditions, and crashed heavily out of second place in race 2, injuring his ankle in the process. After initially having the better of teammate Leon Haslam, Crutchlow was ultimately outpointed by him. He took two wins across the season, and finished third in the championship, beating Tom Sykes by two points after the Yorkshireman had a late mechanical failure in the final round.

Supersport World Championship

On 23 September 2008, it was confirmed that Crutchlow had signed a deal to ride for the Wilco Zeelenberg-managed Yamaha factory team in the 2009 World Supersport Championship. He finished in the top-four at every race until he suffered a mechanical failure while leading at Brno. He soon found himself in a two-way championship dice with surprise package Eugene Laverty on a Parkalgar Honda. Crutchlow led the championship, but a gearbox failure while leading at Imola meant that Laverty surged to just three points behind him in the standings. Laverty crashed after an intense start at Magny-Cours, picking his bike back up to leave him 19 points behind Crutchlow with one race left. Laverty won the race, in Portimão, but Crutchlow's fourth place finish was enough to secure him the 2009 championship.

Superbike World Championship

On 1 October 2009, Yamaha announced that Crutchlow would make the move from World Supersport to the Superbike World Championship in 2010. His teammate was former world champion James Toseland, who had rejoined World Superbike after losing his place in MotoGP. Crutchlow took his first series pole at his second meeting, at Portimão, but did not win either race. He stoked controversy after the first race there by mentioning in an interview that he was well clear of Toseland when he crashed out, but insisted that he was not arrogant. Toseland later pointed out that Crutchlow's tendency to speak his mind meant that not everybody could get on with him. Crutchlow took his first two World Superbike wins at Silverstone, after battling with Ten Kate Racing rider Jonathan Rea, and as a result climbed from tenth to fifth in the standings.

MotoGP World Championship Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (2011–2013)

It was officially announced on 5 September 2010 that Crutchlow would join Tech 3 for the 2011 MotoGP Championship. Crutchlow ended the season in 12th position in the championship, and won the Rookie of the Year Award after achieving his best result of the season – fourth place – in Valencia.

Crutchlow got off to a good start in the 2012 championship. In Losail, he secured third position on the starting grid, and finished in fourth place ahead of teammate Andrea Dovizioso. This was his first time qualifying on the front row: his father lost a bet with Wilco Zeelenberg and had to shave off his 40-year-old moustache. Crutchlow suffered disappointment at Silverstone when he crashed at Chapel Corner during practice. Early x-rays showed no break to his ankle, but it was clear he was in considerable pain. Further examination showed a broken and dislocated left ankle, and raised questions over Crutchlow's participation in the race. He was given the all clear by doctors, and passed a fitness test at the circuit. Starting at the back of the grid, Crutchlow raced with characteristic determination, and finished in a highly commendable sixth place. Overall, Crutchlow had a positive season, running consistently within the top-five riders and obtaining two podium finishes – third place on both occasions – in the Czech Republic and in Australia. He finished seventh in the championship, thumb Crutchlow had an excellent season in 2013. He took four podiums within a five-race midseason stretch: he finished second in Le Mans, and third in Mugello. He qualified second in Catalonia but lost the front end with 20 laps remaining and retired. He then set the first MotoGP pole of his career in Assen, finishing third, and took another second place finish in Germany. Throughout the season, Crutchlow battled consistently among the second group of riders, along with Andrea Dovizioso, Stefan Bradl and Álvaro Bautista. He finished the championship in fifth place, and took a career-best 188 points.

Ducati Team (2014)

On 2 August 2013 it was announced that Crutchlow had signed a two-year deal with the factory Ducati team, to partner Andrea Dovizioso. The beginning of his season was plagued with issues. A malfunctioning transponder caused the electronics of his Ducati Desmosedici to behave strangely during the first race in Qatar, where he finished in sixth place. He experienced tyre issues and later crashed out of the race in Austin. In the crash he suffered a hand injury, causing him to miss the Argentine Grand Prix and thus missing a championship race for the first time in his career. He returned in Jerez, but he was forced to retire after three laps, having experienced problems with the brakes. He achieved his sole podium with Ducati in Aragon, finishing in third place. He finished the season in a disappointing thirteenth place.

LCR Honda (2015–2020)

On 2 August 2014, exactly a year after joining the team, it was announced that Crutchlow was leaving Ducati. Later the same day, it was announced that Crutchlow had signed for LCR Honda for the 2015 season, replacing Stefan Bradl on the factory-specification RC213V.

Crutchlow started the 2015 season with seventh-place finishes in Qatar and Austin. He then achieved his first podium with his new team, a third-place finish in Argentina after a last-lap pass on Andrea Iannone. This was LCR's first podium since Stefan Bradl finished second at the 2013 United States Grand Prix. Crutchlow retired from each of the next three races on the calendar, in France, Italy and Catalunya, before a sixth-place finish in the Netherlands and a seventh-place finish in Germany. Crutchlow finished eighth in the championship.

Crutchlow's 2016 season began inauspiciously, with four retirements in the first eight races. His season began to turn around in a chaotic flag-to-flag race in Germany, where he powered through tricky conditions to set the fastest lap and finish in second place. He won his first race at the wet Czech Republic GP. This win ended a 35-year dry spell for British riders in the premier class, since Barry Sheene won the 1981 Swedish Grand Prix. The next race weekend, Crutchlow set pole and took second place at his home GP in Silverstone. Crutchlow capped off his season by taking his second premier class victory in Australia, his first dry win. He was the first Briton ever to win the Australian Grand Prix. He retired from the last two races in Malaysia and Valencia. After an uneven season, Crutchlow ended the year with 141 points, seventh in the championship.

Crutchlow crashed at out at the 2017 season opener in Qatar, but rallied at the second race in Argentina to take a third place podium. He did not score another podium for the rest of the season, but rode with relative consistency, taking six other top-five finishes. He finished the season in ninth, and extended his contract with LCR Honda until 2019.

Crutchlow achieved his third and final premier class win at the second race of the 2018 season in Argentina. He set pole at Jerez, but slipped back through the grid and crashed six laps in; he attempted to remount his bike but was forced to retire. He took further podium finishes in Misano and Japan. During practice for Australia, he fell at the first corner and shattered his right ankle. Despite missing the final three races of the season due to injury, he finished seventh in the championship, the second Honda behind Marc Márquez.

After a long winter spent rehabilitating his ankle, Crutchlow returned to the grid for 2019 and was rewarded with a third place finish at the first race in Qatar. He took further podiums in Germany and Australia, the site of the previous year's accident. He also suffered six retirements on the increasingly fractious RC213V, but finished the season in ninth place, and was once again the second Honda behind Márquez.

Crutchlow struggled during the 2020 season, which was truncated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Plagued by injuries and retirements, he scored two lone top-ten finishes, in Catalonia and Aragon. He finished the season in eighteenth place.

Yamaha Motor Racing (2021–2025) In November 2020, it was announced Crutchlow was contracted for the 2021 season as a test rider with the Yamaha factory team, replacing Jorge Lorenzo.

In August , Yamaha arranged for Crutchlow to return to the grid as a replacement for Petronas Yamaha SRT rider Franco Morbidelli, who was recovering from knee surgery. Crutchlow rode in the Styrian GP in Austria, and placed seventeenth out of 18 finishers. The following weekend on the same circuit at the Austrian GP, Crutchlow again placed seventeenth, out of 17 finishers. In late August, Crutchlow stepped in for the factory team at Silverstone, where he also finished seventeenth.

In 2022, Crutchlow stepped in as a replacement for Andrea Dovizioso at RNF Racing, after the Italian opted to retire from racing midseason. Crutchlow rode in the last six races of the season, with his best finish a twelfth place in Malaysia. In 2023, Crutchlow raced at the Japanese Grand Prix for Yamaha as a wildcard. He finished 13th, in a race heavily affected by rain which was ultimately red flagged on lap 13 of 24. After the event, he accepted a three year contract extension as a Yamaha test rider.

Crutchlow was due to compete in as a wild card at the British, Italian and San Marino Grand Prix in 2024. However, he withdrew from all three events due to injuries and surgery. In April 2025, Crutchlow returned to testing for Yamaha after nearly a year on the sidelines. In September 2025, Yamaha announced Crutchlow would no longer be a test rider, with Augusto Fernández and Andrea Dovizioso being retained instead.

LCR Honda stand-in (2026) In 2026, Crutchlow made a surprise return to MotoGP after a three-year absence. He was drafted by LCR Honda as a replacement rider for the severely injured Johann Zarco. Crutchlow made his redebut in Italy, and continued to deputise for Zarco at the Hungarian, Czech, Dutch and German Grand Prix.

Personal life Crutchlow married Lucy Heron in January 2014, announcing on Twitter that he and Lucy welcomed their first child, a girl named Willow, on 2 August 2016. At the Austrian Grand Prix later that month, Crutchlow wore a special helmet to celebrate her birth.

Crutchlow is based in Ramsey, Isle of Man, but spends his time during the racing season in Tuscany, where he has owned a home since 2012. Crutchlow has ridden several exhibition laps around the Isle of Man TT Course.

In late 2018, Crutchlow suffered severe lower-leg injuries in a crash at Phillip Island, Australia.

Career statistics All-time statistics Seasons Series Races Poles Podiums Wins 2nd place 3rd place Fastest laps Titles 2008, 2010 World Superbike (SBK) 30 6 11 3 2 6 8 0 2005–2006, 2009 World Supersport (SSP) 17 10 10 5 3 2 9 1 2007–2008 British Superbike (BSB) 50 4 13 2 4 7 0 0 2004–2006 British Supersport (BSS) 36 0 17 8 4 5 0 1

Races by year

British Supersport Championship (key) Year Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pos Pts Ref 2004 Honda SIL BHI SNE OUL MON SNE BHGP KNO MAL CRO CAD OUL DON 10th 75 2005 Honda BHI THR MAL OUL MON CRO KNO SNE SIL CAD OUL DON BHGP 3rd* 161 2006 Honda BHI DON THR OUL MON MAL SNE KNO OUL CRO CAD SIL BHGP 1st 242 Both Easton and Cal Crutchlow finished on 161 thus sharing 3rd place.

British Superbike Championship (key) Year Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pos Pts Ref R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 2007 Suzuki BHGP BHGP THR THR SIL SIL OUL OUL SNE SNE MON MON KNO KNO OUL OUL MAL MAL CRO CRO CAD CAD DON DON BHI BHI 9th 152 2008 Honda BHGP BHGP THR THR OUL OUL BHGP BHGP DON DON SNE SNE MAL MAL OUL OUL KNO KNO CAD CAD CRO CRO SIL SIL BHI BHI 3rd 318

Supersport World Championship (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pos Pts Ref 2005 Honda QAT AUS ESP ITA EUR SMR CZE GBR NED GER ITA FRA 27th 6 2006 Honda QAT AUS ESP ITA EUR SMR CZE GBR NED GER ITA FRA 29th 11 2009 Yamaha AUS QAT SPA NED ITA RSA USA SMR GBR CZE GER ITA FRA POR 1st 243 2010 Yamaha AUS AUS POR POR SPA SPA NED NED ITA ITA RSA RSA USA USA SMR SMR CZE CZE GBR GBR GER GER ITA ITA FRA FRA 5th 284

Grand Prix motorcycle racing

By season

By class

Races by year (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Class Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Pos Pts MotoGP Yamaha QAT SPA POR FRA CAT GBR NED ITA GER USA CZE INP RSM ARA JPN AUS MAL VAL 12th 70 MotoGP Yamaha QAT SPA POR FRA CAT GBR NED GER ITA USA INP CZE RSM ARA JPN MAL AUS VAL 7th 151 MotoGP Yamaha QAT AME SPA FRA ITA CAT NED GER USA INP CZE GBR RSM ARA MAL AUS JPN VAL 5th 188 MotoGP Ducati QAT AME ARG SPA FRA ITA CAT NED GER INP CZE GBR RSM ARA JPN AUS MAL VAL 13th 74 MotoGP Honda QAT AME ARG SPA FRA ITA CAT NED GER INP CZE GBR RSM ARA JPN AUS MAL VAL 8th 125 MotoGP Honda QAT ARG AME SPA FRA ITA CAT NED GER AUT CZE GBR RSM ARA JPN AUS MAL VAL 7th 141 MotoGP Honda QAT ARG AME SPA FRA ITA CAT NED GER CZE AUT GBR RSM ARA JPN AUS MAL VAL 9th 112 MotoGP Honda QAT ARG AME SPA FRA ITA CAT NED GER CZE AUT GBR RSM ARA THA JPN AUS MAL VAL 7th 148 MotoGP Honda QAT ARG AME SPA FRA ITA CAT NED GER CZE AUT GBR RSM ARA THA JPN AUS MAL VAL 9th 133 MotoGP Honda SPA ANC CZE AUT STY RSM EMI CAT FRA ARA TER EUR VAL POR 18th 32 MotoGP Yamaha QAT DOH POR SPA FRA ITA CAT GER NED STY AUT GBR ARA RSM AME EMI ALR VAL 28th 0 MotoGP Yamaha QAT INA ARG AME POR SPA FRA ITA CAT GER NED GBR AUT RSM ARA JPN THA AUS MAL VAL 25th 10 MotoGP Yamaha POR ARG AME SPA FRA ITA GER NED GBR AUT CAT RSM INDJPN INA AUS THA MAL QAT VAL 29th 3 MotoGP Honda THA BRA USA SPA FRA CAT ITA HUN CZE NED GER GBR ARA RSM AUT JPN INA AUS MAL QAT POR VAL 25th* 0* Season still in progress.