Cal Crutchlow: “If Marc Marquez is on a Ducati, everyone else wouldn’t compete”
Whispers in the Japanese MotoGP paddock this weekend continue to suggest that the eight-time world champion will quit Honda to join Gresini Ducati next year, although he has refused to confi𓃲rm his plans.
Crutchlow, a Honda MotoGP rider for six years alongside Marquez, insists that the potential move would ಌrock the sport.
"I have no idea what I would do in Marc's place," Crutchlow was quoted🐼 b꧒y .
"But ♔I've always said: If Marc were to switch to a Ducati, ev🐟eryone else wouldn't even need to compete.
“And that's why I don'tไ want him to do it. I wish he would make the turnaround with Honda.
"I basically don't care,🎐 I just ⭕want to see a good race on TV.
"I think Marc is still the best rider and the greatest talent I've hꦑad the privilege to race with.
“I🧸 was riding a Honda at the same time. I knew what he was doing and I understood it.♛ But I couldn't put it into practice.
“His talent was incredible and I don't think he lost that ♕talent. I just think his bike is not letting him do what he was used to doin🍌g at the moment.
“If the bike would let him, I think he♐ would still be at the top💞 of the world championship.
“So if he goes to Ducati, maybe it wo༺uld be completely boring.💦
“The other story, on the other hand, would be that♏ he makes a comeback with Honda. I think that could be a better story for everybody.
"We know th🌠at Yamaha and Honda can build the best bikes in the world because t🧸hey have done it for many years.
"Duca🥂ti didn't win for 15 years, Aprilia was nowhere, KTM just started to get re🅺ally strong. But that can change again.
“In five years' time the two Japanese manufacturers may be back 🥀at the top in full force and the others𝄹 in nowhere. That's racing.
"Honda and Yamaha are strong manufacturers. They know how to build ♛a bike, they have good engineers.
"The problem is that they have to change the way they work. Because what they have always done doesn't work now. The rules of the game have changed, that'sꦇ the reality.
“We have to be more open - Yamaha knows that and I ⛦am convinced Honda knows it too. If they start acting faster and reacting better, and more impartially, and maybe not playing it too safe, I'm confident they will make it."
Crutchlo📖w is competing at the Japanese MotoGP as a wildcar🎀d for Yamaha, for whom he is now a test rider.
It is 🃏his first appearance s🦹ince last season, at Yamaha’s home race.
He was 16th fastest in Friday practice -༺ Honda’s Joan Mir was 12th, Marquez 14th due to a late crash.
Crutchlow joked about his return: "They should be scared of me. Because the last time I was on track with another💟 rider was in April. In Aragon and here in Motegi I tested alone afterwards.
“So they shoul𓆉d be scared of me m🐲issing the braking point in turn 1…
"There seems to be a p💮ile-up in the start corner every week now. So I'm going to start five seconds later and then make up eight places in one corner!
"I feel okay. Of course the references will be a bit different, but I'm not a rookie either. I'm looking forܫward to seeing some other bikes on the tracಌk and not just some marshal sitting at the track while still messaging his wife on his smartphone."
James was a sports journalist at Sky Spor♈ts for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
