Crutchlow to Ducati 2014

Big Big fan of Cal but not sure we will see much of him at the front of the pack next season... Hope I'm wrong!
 
Hmmm I have to agree with that. I feel a bit torn but I think Ducati will break him but I also so hope I'm wrong too, be way cool to see Cal wring its neck and get it on the podium. And stuff Dovi into the bargain for pinching his seat last year :finger:
 
Looks like I'll be watchin Cal on the big red bike on my FREE BT sport channels next year :D:thumbs:
 
Cals only going to Ducati for a big pay check. He wanted a factory ride and didnt care who it was for.
He wasnt slow in slagging off Ducati last year.
Hes only in it for the money.
Not a good move from Ducati!!!
 
Just another thought.... what about if Cal has a bit of inside knowledge about future development and how much influence Audi will be exerting on the direction of the next couple of years R and D...... ;)

I think he knows more than we do!:cool:
 
Crutchlow to Ducati

I had heard on good authority that Ducati weren't doing anything with their bikes this year and the big push was coming in the 2014 season with a totally new bike produced with big influence from Audi.
Maybe Cal has been given some big promises from Ducati.........but so was Rossi.
 
It will take a least 2 years to be able to compete with Honda and Yamaha, by that time he will be heading back to BSB
 
redducati said:
Cals only going to Ducati for a big pay check. He wanted a factory ride and didnt care who it was for.
He wasnt slow in slagging off Ducati last year.
Hes only in it for the money.
Not a good move from Ducati!!!
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Aye and I do 1200 miles a week all over the country doing warranty repairs on gas, electric and solid fuel fires cause I love it ! Of course he's in it for the money, but also loves racing and probably knows his factory chance is all but gone anywhere else
 
PaulV said:
Looks like I'll be watchin Cal on the big red bike on my FREE BT sport channels next year :D:thumbs:
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Plus 1 on that, BT Sport up and running on TV, iPad and iPhone this evening. I hope Cal does a better job with the Ducati than everyone else has. He's good but he's no Casey Stoner.
 
Im sure if you asked Lorenzo, Rossi, stoner or any other world champion, they would all say they wanted the glory, to be the best. The money comes second.
 
I actually think he will do well on the duke. His style of 'wringing it's neck' (aka Stoner and remember the one off ride by that that other Australian rider, Troy Bayliss?), appears to suit the duke, rather than the smoother style adopted by Dovi and Rossi. I hope he does well anyway, he deserves a factory ride and if this is what it has to be, well fair play to the guy.
 
In a recent chat with ne commentator at a GP Cal was extoling the virtues of being a factory rider. He said you only had to worry about riding, everything else was looked after for you. Maybe he wants the chance to experience it?

Audi did say they would not change the game plan until 2015 but they seem to be starting to take a much more hands on approach.

I think he may just master the Ducati. Fingers crossed anyway. He's certainly proved his capabilities.
 
redducati said:
Im sure if you asked Lorenzo, Rossi, stoner or any other world champion, they would all say they wanted the glory, to be the best. The money comes second.
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Sorry but that's bull***t, its mostly all about money nowadays, how else would the big factory teams entice the better riders "with money" exactly the same with ANY other sport. Offer them more money and they will at least think about moving to your team. Yeah of course they all want glory, who wouldn't in a sport they love, but hell you'd be a pretty stupid person not to take a factory ride for MORE money. I'm pretty sure Rossi was offered a little extra to ride the Ducati for a couple of seasons, look at the thousands of different merchandise Ducati put up for sale with a yellow number '46' on it!

Also do you reckon Lorenzo, Rossi, Stoner, Pedrosa, Marquez etc etc would all move to a CRT machine for less money just to help produce a bike that they could get glory from, I think not!
 
Received from Bologna this afternoon.

Dear Presidents,

we are happy to share first with you this very important news for Ducati Corse that witnesses once more our total commitment to achieve the best results.

Cal Crutchlow with Ducati beginning next season

Ducati has reached an agreement with Cal Crutchlow that will have the Briton campaigning the 2014 and 2015 MotoGP race seasons with the Ducati Team. Crutchlow will race alongside Andrea Dovizioso. The British rider and the Italian, who were team-mates in 2012, will work on developing the Desmosedici and growing Ducati’s MotoGP project.

The 2009 World Supersport champion and 2011 MotoGP Rookie of the Year, Crutchlow is presently enjoying his strongest GP season to date, sitting fifth in the championship points standings. He has posted four podium finishes in the first nine races, and he earned his first MotoGP pole position at the Dutch TT.

The end of the 2013 season will also mark the completion of Nicky Hayden’s five-year professional relationship with the Ducati Team. Ducati would like to thank Nicky for his contributions during that time, and everyone on the team and at Ducati Corse looks forward to giving him and Andrea their full support over the second half of the 2013 season.

Cal Crutchlow

Race number: 35

Age: 27 (born in Coventry, UK, on 29 October 1985)

Height: 1.68 metres (5’6”)

Weight: 66.68 kg (147 lbs.)

GP starts: 43 (all in MotoGP class)

First GP: Qatar GP, 2011 (MotoGP)

GP podiums: 6 (all in MotoGP class)

First GP Pole: Dutch TT, 2013 (MotoGP)

World SBK starts: 30

World SBK wins: 3

World SBK podiums: 11

World SBK poles: 6

World Supersport starts: 17

World Supersport titles: 1

World Supersport wins: 5

World Supersport podiums: 10

World Supersport poles: 10


Notable Achievements:

• 2011: MotoGP Rookie of the Year (Tech3 Yamaha)

• 2009: Supersport World Champion (Yamaha)

• 2006: British Supersport Champion

• 2001: Aprilia RS 125 Challenge Champion
 
The big factory teams entice the best riders with a package that will give them a shot at the title. Thats why the top two at the moment have the best riders.
Rossi went to Ducati because he thought he could turn the bike around and win on it. To say he went for the money is ridiculous, do you know how much he earns on sponsorship alone.
Oh and none of the top riders would go to a CRT for any amount of money because its a different class of bike!
Dont get me wrong i hope he does well on it because its not fun seeing the Ducati finishing 6th and 7th or worse in every race. They need to be more competitive!
I just think Cals left a team that was competitive, that has more or less the same machine as lorenzo, for a bike that unfortunately finds it hard to beat CRT at times,
 
posiden said:
Maybe Cal has been given some big promises from Ducati.........but so was Rossi.
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Yep, this is the crux of it for me.

In my heart, I would love to see Cal - who has been giving 100% this year - taking a win on a Desmo.

In my head, I see the many Moto GP careers blighted by the Ducati and feel like he could be making a career-ending mistake.

Time will tell, and here's hoping he can make some progress, or there is an all new bike ready for next season.
 
redducati said:
The big factory teams entice the best riders with a package that will give them a shot at the title. Thats why the top two at the moment have the best riders.
Rossi went to Ducati because he thought he could turn the bike around and win on it. To say he went for the money is ridiculous, do you know how much he earns on sponsorship alone.
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Rossi got a phenomenal financial package from Ducati (15 million Euros vs the 9 he was going to get from Yamaha) - part of the lure was most certainly to make the bike work, adding to his "legend" status in the process, and his marketability - imagine the product endorsement potential of an Italian superstar winning on a well known Italian marque? But if it really was all about making the bike work, why didn't he stay on and finish the job?

His salary at Yamaha the year before he moved was something like 15 million Euros, but they wanted to knock off 6 million and basically give it to Lorenzo, who was also going to be the #1 rider in the team (unsurprising since he'd just won the 2010 championship and was only on 4 million vs Rossi's 15), there would have been some politics as a result and I'm sure there was underestimation of the job Casey Stoner had been doing on the Ducati.
 
Would rather have seen scott on that bike. Got o feeling cal will fling the thing up the road every race weekend overcooking it. Hope I am wrong though
 
Don't know how true this s, but when Cal met Lin Jarvis of Yamaha, he was adviced to go get a big Payday as Yamaha couldn't offer Cal a factory ride/ Job for 2014 and beyond. We all know he wanted a factory ride for the past 2 years +. Maybe now Audi want someone to grab the bike by the horns in a Stoner esque manner.

Dovi is trying but development with the bike isn't quite there. These 2 together could be the driving force and push that Ducati/ Audi needs. Ducati needs to do better in both WSBK OR MGP as they're doing crap at the moment. However to bring top/ talented people together you have to pay them there worth nowadays. Only then will you know if they can live upto the potential and hype.

So good luck to Cal & Dovi in 2014, lets hope the potential shines through and the investment is worthwhile.
 
I think you're right !!! I can see the Desmosedici spending more time on its side with Cal, save on tyres right enough. That said, I would like to see him tame the b1tch !!
 
Audi will chuck money at it, as even the cost of MotoGP is small beer to them. Grabbing a bike by the scruff is ok but it masks inherent problems. What you want is a nutter and a thinker in the same team. Is that Dovi and Cal? (which is which?)
 
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