Monster Yamaha's Cal Crutchlow has managed to lap inside last year's MotoGP pole position time of 1'47.001 on his way to 12th on the grid for tomorrow's Motegi race despite having to fight off illness and dehydration.
The former World Supersport Champion says he has been coughing and sneezing all night and even though he has taken on litres and litres of fluid, still feels he needs more. Crutchlow missed out on a third-row start by a matter of tenths but is in an upbeat frame of mind.
“I'm a bit disappointed to be back in 12th when you look how close I am to the third row. But I can't be too upset because I feel well below my physical best today. All last night I was coughing and sneezing and I've been drinking about eight litres of water today and I still feel dehydrated. My throat feels like I've swallowed gravel but I still managed to go out there and lap faster than last year's pole time," he said.
"I can't really ask for much more than that on a circuit I've never even seen before in my life. I might have been a bit further up the grid but on my last soft tyre I nearly high-sided coming out of the first corner. It was a big moment because I struggled to get heat into the tyre out of the pits.
"I still got in one more lap on that final tyre and managed to set my best time, so now I'm looking forward to the race and hoping I can have another good battle like I did at the Motorland Aragon. That was a lot of fun but also helped me learn a lot, so I'll be looking to be in a fight for the top 10.”
