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MotoGP Termas: Crutchlow 'expected win or second behind Marc'

LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow has become the first British rider since Barry Sheene in 1979 to lead the MotoGP World Championship after taking victory in Argentina.

The Isle of Man resident said he expected to win or at least come second behind Marc Marquez in the event but had to content with a too-soft front tyre in tricky conditions at the Termas De Rio Hondo crircuit.

“It was nice to win, but it was to be expected to be honest. I came into the weekend thinking I could leave here with a chance of being first or second with Marc (Marquez) and we ended up winning. I was comfortable in the battle, I felt I took no risks and stayed with riders that I probably could have dropped should I have needed to,” said Crutchlow.

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“If it was a normal race Marc would have been very, very strong as we were the second-fastest this weekend apart from Marc in the dry conditions. We had a terrible qualifying but we are very happy to leave here with a victory.

“These guys ran very well and full credit to them. I won at the slowest possible speed because I didn’t need to take any risks for the championship.”

Crutchlow opted for medium Michelins all round on a drying track, one step softer than his usual hard front and even more pliable than he ran last season.

“My front tyre was way too soft for me, too steps softer than what we ran here last year, and I was having a lot of movement at the start of the race with a full tank in the braking zones,” he said.

“I tried to save that and I stayed at a decent gap. I also chose a lot of different lines in the wet to them because in case one of them crashed I didn’t want to be taken out of the race through someone else crashing.

“I knew in the end I could pick them off and I knew that I could be there at the end of the race, first and foremost, and I knew where I could pass and where I couldn’t pass.

“We did a good job, my team has done a fantastic job all winter in the pre-season and Honda have done a fantastic job with the engine over the winter so we have to give credit to my team and to them for this victory.”

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