Autosportfoto

Crutchlow: Lowes is brave, he'll be fast

Cal Crutchlow has backed fellow Brit Sam Lowes to be fast in MotoGP, once the Aprilia rookie learns the ropes in the premier-class.

Crutchlow was particularly impressed with Lowes' pace in the first sector of the lap at this week's Phillip Island test; comprising the main straight, ultra-fast Turn 1 and sweeping 180-degree Turn 2.

Despite the Aprilia having a top speed deficit relative to the other machines, and Lowes was still on the 2016 version, the former WSS champion and Moto2 race winner covered the section in 21.207s.

To put that into perspective, although Lowes was 21st overall on the timesheets, it took second fastest reigning world champion Marc Marquez until his 86th lap to be quicker than Lowes in Sector 1.

"He's so brave, but he's riding it wrong in the moment, but he's going to get it and when he does, he's going to be fast, " Crutchlow said of Lowes. "He's [been] faster than Marc in Sector 1, so he's brave.

"It takes time to learn to ride in the right way because only a handful of guys have jumped on one of these things and been fast immediately. He's going well and I don't think it's easy to do what he is doing.

"This is not a place where you can learn it really because there are a lot of fast corners and his forte is being fast into the corner, so he probably just needs to be a little bit patient."

Lowes has one more test, in Qatar, before his MotoGP race debut at the same Losail circuit on March 26. 

Zdroj: crash.net