MotoGP: Crutchlow survives battering day in Brno

2016 Czech Grand Prix winner Cal Crutchlow has survived a battering day at the Brno circuit after a crash caused by track contamination left his participation in the event in doubt. The LCR Honda rider crashed this morning in free practice three on oil dropped form Alvaro Bautista’s Pull&Bear Aspar Ducati, leaving him potentially in doubt for this afternoon’s qualifying.

The Brit fell alongside Marc Marquez and Bautista before the red flags came out, and was left with a suspected broken vertebra – a situation that ignited a struggle to get passed fit in time for qualifying after circuit medical staff and MotoGP’s own head of medical Doctor Charte disagreed about the results of his x-ray and called for more scans

“It wasn’t anyone’s fault – Marc went down about three seconds in front of me and I saw Alvaro go down in the gravel, but before I even had time to react, I touched the brakes and the rear of the bike swung around at 175mph. Marc crashed later than me so he had slowed down, but I crashed in a straight line.

“It was a drama because as soon as I finished I got an x-ray, then spent the whole of the time between free practice three and four in the hospital waiting on a CT scan – and left without getting it. When we got there they said everything was organised, but it wasn’t, so I left and went back after qualifying.

“Obviously they went mad because I left the hospital without the scan. The circuit doctor passed me fit, but I was already on the bike by then anyway! I completely respect Doctor Charte and Doctor Mir’s decision that I wasn’t fit to ride, but it was on my own head and I went out.”

However, despite the fall, Crutchlow made a heroic ride to fifth place and the second row for tomorrow’s race – despite admitting that there’s a chance that he might not make it to the grid for tomorrow’s race.

“We’ll see what they say tomorrow, what the doctors at the track say. But I feel good; in fact, I’ve felt great all weekend so far. Yesterday we had some problems with the set up, but I felt we just needed to work in a different area and today I thought we did a really good job.”