HRC test rider Stefan Bradl will reunite with the LCR Honda team he participated with between 2012 and 2014 to replace the injured Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) at the Malaysian GP after the British rider suffered right ankle fractures in an FP2 crash at Turn 1 in Australia.
motogp.com pitlane reporter Simon Crafar spoke to LCR Honda’s Oscar Haro to get an update on Crutchlow’s condition during FP3: “He’s fairly okay. I was with him, Luccio has stayed with him at the hospital. He wants to be in Valencia. He’s thinking of riding there. You know how these guys are, especially Cal, he’s a pitbull and he’s very keen to get back because he wants to defend the Independent riders title. It was a hard fall and it’s quite a complicated operation.
“They did the first operation tonight to fix the tibia back in place. The big break is below the tibia in the ankle. He’s broken the tibia, the malleolus. Surely, when they operate on him it will cause further injury to the ligaments and tendons and so we have to wait to see. I think it will be complicated for him to be in Valencia and we should be thinking about the Jerez test to test the new 2019 bike and think about 2019 because this year is now very complicated.”
Bradl: “First of all I want to say it’s a great pity for Cal because he was in good form after the podium in Japan and the last few races. I hope he has a speedy recovery. It’s a good opportunity for me, it’s a nice comeback (to the LCR Team) as we had three years together and there are a lot of people I know in the team. I also want to thank HRC and Lucio for reacting so quickly and professionally to this situation. Now let’s see what we can do, I’m looking forward to seeing the guys and working with them again.”
Lucio Cecchinello – LCR Honda Team Principle: “Obviously we are very disappointed about Cal’s crash in Friday’s FP2 session and the resulting fracture of the right ankle. But this is part of racing and we must accept if even if we do not like it. Cal’s orthopaedic problem will be successfully fixed in few weeks. The whole team wish him a very speed recovery and in the meantime we move to Malaysia for the penultimate round of the season with another LCR former racer. Stefan Bradl raced in LCR colours for three years in the premier class (2012, 2013 and 2014) and we know all about his remarkable skills and undeniable talent. We are happy to be back in the garage together.”