Cal Crutchlow
Three-time MotoGP winner and first British premier class victor since Barry Sheene.
Cal Crutchlow (born 29 October 1985) is an English professional motorcycle racer who retired from regular competition after the 2020 MotoGP season. A three-time MotoGP race winner, he became the first British man since Barry Sheene in 1981 to win a premier class race at the 2016 Czech Republic Grand Prix. Before joining MotoGP, Crutchlow won the Supersport World Championship and won three races in the Superbike World Championship. Following his retirement, he worked as a test rider for Yamaha in MotoGP, and has served as a replacement rider for both Yamaha and LCR Honda.
Quick Facts
- Nationality
- British (Kent, England)
- Premier class
- MotoGP
- Signature team
- LCR Honda (privateer)
- Factory affiliation
- Honda (rider & test rider)
- Career span in motogp
- 2009 – 2020s (multi-decade presence)
- Known nickname
- "Crutch"
- Distinguishing trait
- Longest-serving privateer in modern MotoGP; paddock personality
Lore & Background
Born in Coventry, England, Crutchlow was named Cal after the American motorcycle racer Cal Rayborn. Although his father Derek was a racer, he did not become interested in the sport himself until the age of 11. As of 2007, he did not hold a motorcycle licence for the road. He had football trials with Coventry City and Aston Villa as a youth, but after a knee injury chose to concentrate on motorcycle racing. Crutchlow won the UK Junior Challenge in 1999, and the Aprilia RS125 Challenge in 2001. He was runner-up in the 2003 Yamaha R6 Cup behind Tommy Hill. Crutchlow won the British Supersport Championship in 2006, after a three-year stint in the series in which he finished third in 2005.
Reader's Guide
Crutchlow made his MotoGP debut in 2011 with Monster Yamaha Tech 3. He took his first podium in MotoGP at the 2012 Czech Republic Grand Prix. His fifth place finish in the standings earned him a move to the factory Ducati team for 2014. After a disappointing season, he moved again to LCR Honda for 2015. He took his maiden MotoGP victory in Brno, followed by another win in Australia. Crutchlow remained with LCR Honda for the rest of his career, achieving his third premier class win in Argentina in 2018. He retired after the truncated 2020 season, in which he did not take a top five finish. He had scored at least one podium for eight consecutive seasons. Crutchlow served as a MotoGP test rider for Yamaha from 2021 to 2025. During 2021, he returned to race for two Yamaha teams as a replacement rider across four weekends. He also replaced Andrea Dovizioso for the last six events of 2022. In 2023, he took a wildcard into the Japanese GP. In 2026, Crutchlow made a surprise return to the grid as a replacement rider for LCR Honda, due to Johann Zarco's injury.
Did You Know?
- Crutchlow won the 2009 Supersport World Championship with Yamaha.
- He took his first two World Superbike wins at Silverstone in 2010.
- In early 2017, the RAC awarded Crutchlow the Torrens Trophy for outstanding contribution to motorcycling in the United Kingdom.
- Crutchlow never competed in the 125cc class.
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