The LCR Honda team is set to feature a new, albeit familiar face on the grid at the upcoming Italian GP. With Johann Zarco not yet cleared to race after a major crash during the Barcelona Moto GP race on May 17, Cal Crutchlow is set to stand in for him at Mugello this weekend as a late decision. 

The 40-year-old Briton is returning to MotoGP after a gap of three years. According to a Motorsport.com report, the rider was present during the testing sessions at the Misano circuit on Wednesday.  

Crutchlow has previously been a part of the LCR Honda team from 2015 to 2020. During that time, Crutchlow won his first race at the 2016 Czech Grand Prix, marking the first win for a British rider since Barry Sheen in 1981.

He followed that up with his next win at that year's Australian Grand Prix, while a third win would come at the 2018 Argentine Republic Grand Prix. Additionally, he also achieved 12 podium finishes with the team. Following this, he retired from full-time racing and joined the Yamaha factory team as a test rider.

Surprisingly, when LCR Honda initially approached him to replace Zarco, Crutchlow flat-out denied it because of the long gap since he last raced a MotoGP bike. But after going home and discussing the situation with his wife, he reversed the decision.

Now that he's agreed, he expects it to be the "hardest thing" he's ever done in his life. As for Johann Zarco, he will stay out of action for a while. 

Lucio Cecchinello: "It's A Couple Of Months, Definitely"

Johann Zarco has yet to undergo surgery. Team Principal Lucio Cecchinello explained that it will take place in a few days, after which the rider’s knee will fully recover.

However, he added that while the doctors are waiting until after the surgery to provide a clear timeline, the rider is set to miss races for a few months. 

"(The doctors) said that he has no doubt that Johann will be back at 100%: the knee will be perfectly recovered 100% after the surgery. The doctor said that he preferred to wait for the surgery, and then he will be more precise on the recovery time."

Clearly stating a realistic return time for Zarco, Cecchinello added: "But it's a couple of months, definitely. It needs a couple of months because physiologically there is a certain time that you cannot speed up."

At the Catalan Grand Prix, Zarco collided with Francesco Bagnaia and Luca Marini at Turn 1 after the first restart. The Frenchman’s leg was entangled with Pecco’s bike, and the situation looked quite dire.

A few hours later, he was seen wearing a neck brace and, via an Instagram post, informed his fans he suffered a small fracture at the bottom of his fibula, outside of his left ankle.

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Written by

Aaradhya Singh

Edited by

Yask Kotak