Cal Crutchlow is expected to return to the MotoGP World Championship at the upcoming Styrian MotoGP as a new replacement for the recovering Franco Morbidelli.
The British rider informally retired from full-time racing at the end of the 2020 MotoGP season after ten seasons in the top division before signing a deal to switch to Yamaha as a test and development rider, replacing Jorge Lorenzo.
While the three-time MotoGP race winner was always expected to receive wildcard racing trips in this role – unlike Lorenzo before him – Crutchlow will be announced on the entry list for the upcoming Red Bull Ring race on August 8th.
On the subject of matching items
He will throw his leg over the Petronas SRT Yamaha M1 instead of Morbidelli, who is still recovering from a knee injury that forced him to undergo surgery last month.
Not only was it his first MotoGP outing in 2021, it was also his first race on Yamaha machines since 2013, when he completed a three-year stint with the Satellite Tech 3 racing team with eight podiums and a move to the factory Ducati team.
Crutchlow’s call-up also came after comments from Petronas SRT Yamaha boss Wilco Zeelenberg, who questioned Yamaha’s decision to put the relatively inexperienced Garrett Gerloff on the bike instead of Crutchlow:
“Of course I wanted Cal on the bike, he knows Assen and he’s the test rider … Garrett is a bit risky, we have to admit, it’s risky.” [sic]
Crutchlow may not be the only high profile MotoGP returnee in Austria as ex-Repsol Honda race winner Dani Pedrosa is considering a wildcard outing with KTM in what would be his first start since 2018.