First Taste: Cal Crutchlow Tests Yamaha YZR-M1 MotoGP Bike

Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike pilot Cal Crutchlow rode a Yamaha YZR-M1 for the first time at Yamaha’s test track in Fukuroi, Japan, this past week.

“There is a lot of power, but it feels very usable,” said Crutchlow, fifth overall and Rookie of the Year in WSB. “It felt very different to a production-based machine in terms of its delivery.

“In the wet, we used the normal steel brakes, but when it started to dry, I had a chance to try the carbon ones, which were cool. I managed to get quite comfortable with them.

“I found the chassis very stiff; it was really easy to change direction. And the electronics were really different, even more advanced than the high level I’m used to in Superbike.”

Crutchlow will participate in the MotoGP test in Valencia, Spain, on November 9-10 in preparation for his first season in Grand Prix racing’s premier class alongside two-time WSB champion Colin Edwards at Tech3 Yamaha.