Argentina race winner Cal Crutchlow says the 2018 Honda MotoGP bike is even harder to ride in some areas than last year's bike, but believes its new engine is allowing him to take less risks under braking.
Crutchlow sat in the lead group for much of last weekend's race at Termas, making a late move for the lead and fending off a determined Johann Zarco to claim third premier class victory.
After several seasons of trouble with its engine, HRC made a positive step forward with its new motor over the winter, which has given the bike more power than its predecessor.
Risking less into the corners, Crutchlow still believes the Honda is the hardest bike to ride on the grid, claiming the added power from the new engine has only added to the physicality of the motorcycle.
“As you know, the Honda is a good bike but the engine last year was not as fast as this year, and we asked many times for some more power and we got some more power,” he said.
“It makes it easier for us to be fast and be competitive, because you can imagine how much we had to push in the corner last year to be competitive, you can see now we are pushing way harder than any other manufacturer in the corners.
“I think last year we were having to push harder in the corners. But the engine now is strong, sure, and it makes us more competitive without taking as many risks.
“But, it also comes with its downsides because the bike is so physical to ride. We have to manually ride the bike a lot, and with more power it makes it even harder again.
“But I think we have to take less risk in the corner, but in change of direction, corner-to-corner, the acceleration is actually harder than last year.
“But just on the straight we obviously have more power, as you see, and we were able to be more competitive.
“But this is just a tool, I still don't think we are the quickest manufacturer in a straight line.”
Crutchlow's win was the 750th for Honda across all classes of the world championship, something he feels is a “privilege”, while admitting he expected to battle for the win in Argentina.
“Honestly speaking, when I was sat on the grid I thought it was possible to win the race,” Crutchlow, who is the first British rider to lead the premier class standings since 1979, said.
“If I didn't think it was possible to win the race I would have stayed in the garage, and that's the truth.
“You have to have that mentality, or you don't win or you don't even finish the race.
“I came to Argentina believing I could be on the podium or even challenge for the win, so when I sat on the grid I also believed the same thing.”
