A further boost for Crutchlow is the fact he will benefit from having 2007 champion Ryuichi Kiyonari's crew working with him rather than with Haslam, and though the new bike won't be ready for testing for another couple of months yet, Cal is determined not to disappoint.
“I've got the championship-winning team on this side of the garage,” he explained. “I've got Adrian Gorst, Matt Lloyd and Steve Blackburn, which is very good for me and I couldn't have asked for anything more. I know all the boys are very good at what they do; you just have to look at what they've done over the past couple of years to know that they're a good team, and for me to be stepping in is an honour really.
“Obviously the CBR Fireblade is a new bike for next year, but it looks fantastic. We'll be out on it I think in February. It's not confirmed yet, but I know we're going to have enough testing to be able to be competitive at the first race, and I'm looking forward to it.
“Hopefully HM Plant have chosen the right man and we can do a good job for them next year. We're going to push for a title.”
