Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Cal Crutchlow concluded a successful first test on board Yamaha's new YZR-M1 1000cc MotoGP machine at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia today.
Taking advantage of gloriously sunny conditions during the two-day test, the 26-year-old completed 142 laps and was able to give Yamaha engineering staff a wealth of information and data.
The British rider set a best lap time of 1.33.652 on the opening day as he quickly got to grips with the new bike and the 2012 spec Bridgestone tyres. Cal made a significant step today and as he got more comfortable with the new generation YZR-M1, he was able to lap 1.1s faster to finish fourth on the final timesheets with a best lap of 1.32.550.
The next test is scheduled for the 31st January 2012 at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.
“This was a very important test to get used to the new 1000cc YZR-M1 and thankfully the weather was in our favour and we could get in a lot of laps to understand the early potential of the bike."
"The 1000 seems to suit my style a little better and I have to say that Yamaha has done a very good job and we are already working from a strong base."
"The bike feels quite similar to the 800 YZR-M1 but Yamaha has managed to keep the strong points of this year's bike. You can immediately feel the extra horsepower, which is impressive, but I'm happy because I could keep a very consistent pace."
"I'm looking forward to the winter break now. I learned a lot in my first season in MotoGP that will help me be much stronger in 2012. I'd like to thank all my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew for their efforts this year. They've given me their maximum support and I am grateful for that.”