Crutchlow on MotoGP’s most talented riders: ‘Fabio, Marc, Acosta…’

That’s just the way it is. That’s not to say that one manufacturer has done wrong – they’ve built a great bike and it’s up to the others to match them. But that manufacturer didn’t win the title for 15 years, so it’s swings and roundabouts. At some point the manufacturers that are struggling will come back round. That’s racing, that’s why we do it. I enjoy what I do and I enjoy working with the two riders we’ve got now.

You mentioned Márquez…

Marc is a phenomenon. I had the privilege of riding for the same manufacturer and working with him for six years. What he could do with the bike was incredible. Obviously, Honda are struggling now but even last year he was still the top Honda rider and if he wasn’t he would go down fighting – that’s just him.

In my opinion Marc is the best rider of the modern era of motorcycle racing and still is. There are a lot of reasons for that. His talent on the bike is incredible, his feeling for the bike and the way he’s willing to adapt and work. And he’s so clever – that’s one of the biggest things.

When I was at Honda, he didn’t have to do a lot of set-up and development because he didn’t care. He just rode around the problems and that was difficult for the other riders because we were complaining. He also complained, he wanted to make the bike better, but he also didn’t care because he was so fast and he’d make the best out of the situation. That was so difficult for the rest of us.

I honestly believe that since his arm injury he’s not what he was before, but he’s still better than everyone else.

Márquez was so good to watch on the Honda, but he’s not so spectacular on the Ducati, because it’s such a different motorcycle…

The bikes aren’t what they used to be. We used to have to manage everything: the tyres, the slides, the spin and managing the tyres when they went off. Now they go 100% from the first lap to the last. I like that Marc has been able to adapt to that, because it’s not easy. The Moto2 guys come in now with their corner speed, they’re riding in a different way, but they jump on a MotoGP bike and they know no different, whereas Marc has to adapt to that difference.

That’s where being so clever helps. I’m not saying he’s head and shoulders above the rest, but he can manage situations a lot better than the others.

What about reigning champion and current points leader Bagnaia?

Pecco is a brilliant rider. With Pecco and some other great talents coming through we see that MotoGP is in a great era rider-wise. I loved the era I was in: Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa, Andrea Dovizioso and Marc. I had the privilege of racing against what I believe were the best riders. I’m not saying today’s riders are better, but the level is so high – it keeps getting faster and faster and faster. I look at the lap times they’re doing and I can’t even understand how they’re getting around at that speed.

What do you think of Acosta?

I like him. I like him because he loves the TT! He’s a breath of fresh air for the championship — he says what he thinks, he’s fast, he’s committed, he doesn’t complain. I love that he throws it to them and makes it exciting.

Honestly speaking, I think the only thing that’s letting the championship down is the bikes, because all the riders are good and I think they’ve got good personalities, that kind of thing is going well, so the championship is in a good place with the talent it’s got.

I never liked the media side of it but I like the way they’re promoting the championship a lot more and getting more fans. The difficulty for the championship is the bikes. But from a Pedro point of view, I like watching him.

What do you see in his riding? Because we all thought Brad Binder was the guy taking the KTM to the limit and then, oh…

Acosta has stepped up the level for the KTM riders – he’s set a bar that the others have got to chase. I remember seeing him in Sepang during pre-season testing – he was amazing. I saw him in the wet and said, ‘He’s going to be a rocket’.

It’s the way he brakes – he brakes so late and you think he’s never stopping and he does and he still makes the apex. That’s why he’s able to make those really good passes. He’s never been to these tracks on a MotoGP bike before in his life and he passes Marc! His talent level is brilliant and so is his attitude and that’s what you need.

Let’s go back to Bagnaia, and to Martin too…

These guys like Pecco and Jorge, they’re brilliant riders. They’re calculated. You watch from the outside and what those two can do with their bikes is brilliant.

You have to give some of the credit to the manufacturer and to the bike, but they still have to ride it. If I jumped on the Ducati, I wouldn’t go the same speed as them, so they are making the difference.

Pecco is very calculated over the season – he’s calm when he needs to be calm, he pushes when he needs to push, he puts people under pressure when he gets to the front of a race and it’s difficult to get past him.

He’s grown so much as a MotoGP rider, because his first year… I’m not saying it was a disaster, but it was difficult and he’s grown so much since then and I like seeing that, I like seeing growth in a rider, because if you have a bad first year in MotoGP it can make the rest of your career difficult. He took that year and he came back strong and he’s got stronger every year.

Yes, you think he’s not at the talent level of some guys, but then he responds to them, steps it up and he’s still getting better…

Yeah, he adapts. What I like about Pecco is how he can get rid of problems – he crashes in the sprint race and he goes out and wins the main race the next day. A lot of riders wouldn’t be able do that, so I like his mental strength and his attitude.

Because once you crash you’re tentative and a bit slow next time out, because you don’t want to crash out of two races in a row, because then you just look stupid…

Yeah, you see riders crash out of a race and they’re 15th in the next race, because they want to finish the race. But Pecco goes for it and I like that.

What about Martin? He’s super-fast and now he’s been spurned twice by Ducati, so he’ll be great to watch on the Aprilia.

I like a lot what Jorge has done. He said to Ducati, ‘Right, I’ll take my talent somewhere else,’ and he did, ‘I’m not going to wait – see you later!’. That gives a rider motivation. Whether he will adapt to the Aprilia, I don’t know, but he’s a class act and he’s one of the best riders in the world, so I can’t see him not being able to adapt to a bike that’s obviously good.

What makes Martin so good?

His qualifying laps and his fast laps — how good he is at that, the trust he has in the tyres and in the bike? I’d say there’s nobody better at that. How’s he able to do those laps?! Sometimes you see him six- or seven-tenths ahead of everyone else and you think, Christ, he’s against other guys on the same bike, the same everything. He’s also very much like Pecco – he can crash out and win the next race. He’s doing great.

He has so much commitment – he leans off the bike so far he can hardly reach the outside handlebar…

He grabs the bike – bull by the horns — and rags it. He’s aggressive. And the way he’s managing the championship — yes, he crashed at Jerez, but the way he comes back! If he has a bad weekend he’s there again the next weekend, he doesn’t do downward spirals.

[We did this interview during the Monster Energy track day of legends at Silverstone, before the German GP, where Martin crashed out of the main race.]

Were you surprised by Viñales’ move to KTM?

Yes, I was surprised. I don’t know the ins and outs of what’s going inside other manufacturers, but I thought the relationship he had with Aprilia was good — they took him after the split with Yamaha and I thought he’d continue there. On his day, Maverick can be the fastest rider, by far, so I was surprised he’s taking the chance to go somewhere else, when he’s already fast where he is now.

Do you think he must be frustrating for engineers?

I always say that on pure talent — nothing else, not attitude or track management — but for the talent of going around the track, Marc is the strongest and Maverick is second. His style is lovely — he probably has the best riding style in the championship. I’d love to see Maverick put a full season together and battle for the world title.

What about Binder and Miller?

I like Brad because he f**king throws it in! He doesn’t care who it is — if you’re on the track, he’s not going to like it, just like I didn’t like it. When you watch him he’s a great spectacle and he’s a solid rider.

It must be weird for him, because he was the main man at KTM, then suddenly…

Yeah, but it’s for them to step up. Jack, he’s one of my best mates. It’s been difficult for him. He was on a Ducati — the Ducati is a very good bike and Jack is a great rider. He’s had four wins and 19 more podiums. And no matter where he’s finishing, he’s getting faster every year. The problem is that it’s getting so difficult in MotoGP. He just needs to click again. As for what he’s going to do for next I don’t know, but does he deserve to be on the grid? Absolutely.

What do you think is going on with the Japanese manufacturers?

Yamaha are putting in the effort and that’s why I love working for them – they’re changing their mentality to be back at the front and they will get there, no doubt about it. It’s just going to take time, it won’t happen overnight.

Honda are in a similar situation. With the might and power of Honda it’s sad to see them riding around at the back, with the effort they put in. Like I said earlier – it’s swings and roundabouts and at some point they’ll be back.