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MotoGP Valencia test: Crutchlow talks Ducati MotoGP debut

Britain's Cal Crutchlow got down to race pace after only a handful of laps on his Ducati MotoGP debut at Valencia today and was only eight-tenths of a second slower than fastest man Jorge Lorenzo.

Using Nicky Hayden's bike, Crutchlow went underneath Andrea Dovizioso's fastest time from yesterday's race after a handful of laps and finished the day on a 1'32.054 - just a tenth slower than his new/old team-mate Dovizioso using a soft rear tyre.

"We had a positive first day. It's nice to finally get to work with the Ducati team. We tried a few settings with my positioning but it was about learning something different, a new challenge but there was a lot of positives," said Crutchlow, speaking at Valencia.

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"We have a lot of work to do over the next couple of days, there is another position for myself I want to try and some different settings because in all honesty we left the settings how Nicky had them.

"We did 40 laps. It's different. I have ridden for a different manufacturer for three years now. So even when they changed from 800 to 1000, that bike felt the same and I only know that bike. This was something completely different than I am used to. It will take time for sure but there are some good points about the bike but there are also some areas to improve.

"For me, the braking in a straight line is very stable, the acceleration is working well and also the gearbox is a lot different than what I have been used to. I made a small complaint saying that when I change gear, there is a burst of movement, like surging forward, but they said that is a seamless gearbox!

"We have to work on the negative points as a team. All I can do is give the information back from what I am used to and how I believe it should be. I believe over the next two days I think we can give them more feedback they can use."

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