Alex Rins often provides feedback to Yamaha that the M1 problem is not just limited to one thing, but is a combination of many technical variables. Therefore, by taking advantage of the concessions they share with Honda, they have planned for their test team to take part in at least three races this season, however this plan may be more reduced. . .
Initially, Yamaha had announced Cal Crutchlow’s plan to appear as a Wildcard for the next race at Mugello, but the British racer had to stay at home. This was announced by the tuning fork factory on its social networks last Monday: “Yamaha regrets to announce that Cal Crutchlow will not participate in the Italian GP as a wildcard. The official test rider suffered pain in his right hand this year and underwent a procedure to fix it. However, complications prevented him from taking part in the Italian GP.”
The British racer missed one of the three races he had scheduled as a WildCard to seek as much data as possible for Yamaha. The Mugello plan failed considering his physical condition and Crutchlow’s appearance will be postponed, at least, until the British Grand Prix, at Silverstone which will be held from 2 to 4 August 2024.
Silverstone means Cal will be competing at his home event after the official summer break of the MotoGP World Championship. The third and final plan on the agenda is the San Marino Grand Prix, at the Misano Circuit, from 6 to 8 September 2024, Plus the Official test one day after the race which is usually always the key to the future of the following year, because next year’s new Prototypes are usually tested at Misano.
It remains to be seen whether Yamaha will shift Crutchlow’s Mugello appearance to another year-end schedule, perhaps in the Asian Series like Mugello, or actually reduce their Wild Card quota to just two. . . What is certain is that there is a minimum deadline for the manufacturer to register the name of the WildCard racer, which must be done several months before appearing.
