Cal Crutchlow crestfallen after Silverstone struggle

Three big crashes and a lonely and frustrating ride to seventh ensured Cal Crutchlow endured another instantly forgettable British Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone.

Hopes of a first British podium on home soil in the premier class since Jeremy McWilliams in 2000 quickly faded as Crutchlow fell out of contention from a front row start to finish outside of the top six for only the third time in 2013.

Two heavy crashes in Saturday morning’s FP3 had already knocked the 27-year-old’s confidence when he was flung into the gravel trap at Vale Corner in the pre-race warm-up session.

Battered and bruised in advance of the 20-lap race, Crutchlow battled the pain from nasty abrasions on his right arm to finish 26 seconds behind factory Yamaha rival Jorge Lorenzo.

A bitterly disappointed Crutchlow said: “A lot went wrong. I don’t make excuses – I crashed and my arms are a f*****g mess. I wasn’t able to brake how I wanted to brake in the race. I was riding around hardly even out of breath. I couldn’t do anything. I had no bike set-up over the weekend, had no confidence in the race and was just happy to finish.

And that’s not like me at all. It was a bad weekend all round. In first free practice I was in the top three. Yesterday (Saturday) I was in the top three. I know I can go fast round this place, I know what I can do, but I never got the chance this weekend for one reason or another.”

After three massive crashes, Crutchlow’s main objective was to finish the race, regardless of his final position and he added: “The setting of the bike was not what we wanted, we crashed this morning (warm-up) through the setting of the bike being too high in the front and not heating up the tyre. In the race I didn’t want to crash.

I needed to finish the race. I didn’t give up. I was still riding around at a comfortable pace, but I couldn’t brake at all. My arm is just a complete mess, and that’s it.”

Crutchlow was due to undergo additional medical checks today (Monday) to determine whether the huge build-up of fluid in his damaged right arm will need surgery to alleviate the painful swelling and he added: “My arm is over twice the size of normal and I already have big arms.

It needs draining for sure, or it needs something because it got a massive trauma to the arm and for sure I knew it was from the first crash. I hit the grass, and as soon as I hit the grass, it exploded. Something exploded in my arm. I don’t know what it is but luckily it wasn’t my bone.”

Crutchlow had arrived in Silverstone anticipating he would be challenging for a fifth rostrum of the season but even without his painful injuries that would have been a massive ask given the form of dominant Spanish trio Lorenzo, Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa.

“If I was fully fit and hadn’t crashed this weekend, I believe I could have been towards the podium or ahead of Rossi and Bautista, but I’m not one to say I could have, would have, should have. I finished seventh and no matter the circumstances that’s where I finished and that’s it, “said Crutchlow, who could not disguise his disappointment at not racing to a podium a record crowd had so desperately wanted to witness.

He said: “I really truly believe there were nearly as many people here on Friday as there was last year on Sunday and that’s amazing. And I know a lot of the support was for me, so obviously I’m disappointed not to have a podium or the win that everyone was expecting.”

For more exclusive reaction from Crutchlow, see the September 4 issue of Motor Cycle News.