CAL Crutchlow saw a podium place go begging when he slid off in wet conditions midway through Sunday’s French Grand Prix at Le Mans.
Right on the back of Valentino Rossi’s rear-wheel in a three way battle for third place, he lost the front-end of his YZR-M1 at the second corner on lap 19.
Crutchlow managed to keep his bike going and remount and, despite losing 34 seconds, he was still able to finish in eighth place to retain fourth position in the world championship classification.
‘No complaints,’ said the 26-year-old Ramsey resident. ‘It should have been a top-two, but there was no rear grip and then the crash. When I got back on there were a few issues with the gear shifter and the throttle.’