Yamaha’s MotoGP squad announced Friday that test rider Cal Crutchlow will make three wildcard appearances throughout the remainder of the 2024 season.
Crutchlow is slated to race at the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, the British GP at Silverstone and the San Marino GP at Misano, with the latter two subject to IRTA confirmation.
A combination of Yamaha’s struggles in the 2023 campaign and a revised concessions system allows the Japanese marque to utilise up to six wildcard appearances this campaign, three before the summer testing ban and the remaining three after.
Crutchlow, a three-time GP winner with LCR Honda, has been a member of the Yamaha testing set-up following his retirement from full-time MotoGP action at the end of the 2020 season.
During his time with Yamaha as a test rider, the Brit has had a handful of racing appearances including subbing for the injured Franco Morbidelli and the axed Maverick Vinales across four races during the 2021 campaign and taking Andrea Dovizioso’s vacated seat at the satellite RNF squad in 2022 for the final six rounds of that season.
In 2023, Crutchlow made a one-off wildcard appearance at Motegi.
The Spanish Grand Prix weekend at Jerez has seen KTM, Aprilia and Honda utilise wildcard entries for Dani Pedrosa, Lorenzo Savadori and Stefan Bradl respectively ahead of Monday’s official test session.
Crutchlow will be absent from Monday’s test, but his appearances at Mugello (May 31 – June 02) and Misano (September 06-08) will each be followed by a test outing.
The British riders home GP appearance at Silverstone on August 02-04 won’t proceed any official testing action and instead give Crutchlow the chance to race in front of his home fans.
As per Yamaha’s social media announcement confirming Crutchlow’s wildcard appearances, the British rider will aim “to gather extra data to support Yamaha in their bike development mission.”
Just like fellow Japanese marque Honda, Yamaha has a mountain to climb in order to challenge the European marques of KTM, Aprilia and Ducati.
It’s been a difficult start to the season once again for Yamaha with riders Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins combining for just 22 points after the first three rounds of action.
As a result, the Japanese marque sits fourth in the Manufacturers’ standings with just one top-10 finish to its name.
Compounding the marque’s issues is the lack of a satellite team – a hurdle that it is fighting to overcome in the near future.
