Ahead of MotoGP's season opener in Qatar in less than two weeks, Crutchlow's impressive performance in Jerez has given him a lot of confidence, with the Brit looking for a strong start to the 2013 campaign.
“It is obviously very satisfying to finish the test with the fastest time because it shows what a really good job I did and what a great job my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team did too," Crutchlow said. "It is a shame we didn't get the chance to get in a lot more dry laps, but I have been very fast and consistent and that gives me a lot of confidence for when we return to Jerez for the third race."
"This morning's rain meant the track wasn't in a great condition in the last two hours and I felt I could have definitely gone faster if there was more grip available. But it is the same for everybody and we came out on top, so that's positive. Each time I tried to improve my pace at the end I came across some traffic, so I've no doubt I could have gone faster."
"It has been a positive pre-season and I think I have shown I have made another big improvement for this year. This result gives me a lot of confidence going to Qatar but my goal will be to finish in the top six and get some early momentum like I did last season. It is going to be a very exciting season and now I can't wait to get to Qatar."
1. Cal Crutchlow Yamaha Tech 3 1m39.511s
2. Valentino Rossi Yamaha Factory Racing 1m39.735s
3. Stefan Bradl LCR Honda 1m39.975s
4. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha Factory Racing 1m40.105s
5. Marc Marquez Repsol Honda Team 1m40.130s
6. Andrea Iannone Pramac Racing 1m40.331s
7. Nicky Hayden Ducati Team 1m40.370s
8. Andrea Dovizioso Ducati Team 1m40.516s
9. Michele Pirro Ducati Team Test Rider 1m40.881s
10. Randy de Puniet Power Electronics Aspar 1m40.971s
New team scooter for the year! Not good for motor pacing around trackon bicycle before GP but good for environment…ha twitter.com/calcrutchlow/s…
— Cal Crutchlow (@calcrutchlow) March 25, 2013
