Crutchlow: “We have better pace than guys around us”

The Championship leader starts from P7 after a tougher than expected Q2 - but thinks he'll be able to move forward

Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) will start the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas from seventh on the grid tomorrow, with the Brit aiming to cement his lead at the top of the World Championship standings in Sunday’s race.

The three-time MotoGP™ race winner was disappointed with how Q2 panned out. “I definitely had more expectations, I’m very disappointed with the result today, we’re on the third row when we should have been on the front row,” began the 32-year-old. “My qualifying never went to plan, I never had the feeling with the rear tyre on the bike in the second run.”

Crutchlow though remained positive about his ambitions for the race, and maintained he can still fight for the podium at COTA.

“My team has done a fantastic job over the weekend and worked very hard, I feel competitive, we can be on the podium tomorrow but starting seventh has made it very difficult through something that isn’t our fault. So now we have to look ahead to tomorrow, and see what we can do because again I feel competitive, another weekend where I feel competitive, and we have better pace than the other guys around us. Let’s see.”

The number 35 didn’t change anything with the bike before Q2, so they’ll try and understand the issue. “I know where the problem is, for the qualifying yeah, but we have to discuss it internally and go with that. It could be a costly mistake because if we started on the front row and got away with Marc for a few laps, I think I could have got my head down and be in a lot better situation than what I am in seventh.”

However, the 2009 World Supersport Champion started further back on the grid in Argentina – and who can forget what happened there.

“But, I won from tenth last week so I have to take that on board,” concluded a grinning Crutchlow.