Crutchlow is Back, Binder Adapts Fast in Aragon

16-09-2022

Crutchlow is Back, Binder Adapts Fast in Aragon

The WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team embarks on a new journey this weekend with Cal Crutchlow, starting on Friday.

For round 15 of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship season, the Aragon Grand Prix, WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP lines up Cal Crutchlow alongside premier class rookie Darryn Binder. The Brit, who is Yamaha test rider, jumps on board the YZR-M1 for the final six races of the campaign, taking the place of Andrea Dovizioso and bringing in some fresh air.

Friday saw the track return of Crutchlow with a decent start in Free Practice one, which he finished just 0.706 seconds behind the top in P16. The 36-year old improved throughout FP2 this sunny afternoon at the Motorland Aragon circuit by 0.861 seconds, yet he was moving backwards to P19 of the combined standings, missing out on the top 10 by 0.638 seconds by the end of day one.

In the meantime, Binder adapted well to the tricky circuit aboard the big bike. The South African concluded FP1 in P24, but with just 1.684 seconds to the top. He made some huge steps in the second session of this weekend to go 1.752 seconds quicker than in Free Practice one, finishing only 0.087 seconds behind his new experienced teammate in P20.

Both, Crutchlow and Binder together with their respective crews already have some ideas on how to further move forward tomorrow in FP3 at 09:55 local time, followed by Free Practice four at 13:30 and the all-important Qualifying from 14:10.

Cal Crutchlow

WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Racing Team

“It was great to be back out on track this weekend with the WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team. We worked well as a team today, we did some positive steps. We didn’t change the bike too much, but we managed to eliminate some things for the race weekend. It’s funny how you change your mindset from being a test rider back to a racer. I had good fun out there. At the end of the day, I was disappointed not to be able to really improve my lap time. We had a small issue with my brake and I wasn’t able to stop the bike in a good way. But we know the problem, so hopefully tomorrow we can go a lot better. Overall, it was a good day working with the team, it was nice to be back out on track and now let’s see how the rest of the weekend goes.”

Darryn Binder

WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Racing Team

“I feel like today has been a positive day here in Aragon. I get the impression that the small things we worked on during the Misano test are showing to be helpful here. I made a good step from FP1 to FP2, I’m really enjoying the track on the MotoGP bike and I’m ready to keep working for tomorrow to try to close the gap a little bit more. Anyway, I’m happy with the gap today, 1.2 seconds is I think the closest to the top I’ve been on a Friday.”