British MotoGP legend Cal Crutchlow makes shock return in Mugello

The 40-year old, who is one of the most successful British riders of the last few decades, has never been shy to answer the call when needed, and acted as a stand-in for several years between 2021-23 at the Yamaha team. Now, he comes into the LCR team at a critical time following Johann Zarco's horrific injury at the Catalan Grand Prix. Similarly, Alex Marquez will also be replaced by Michele Pirro this weekend as he continues his recovery off-track.

For Brazilian rookie and Moto2 champion Diogo Moreira, the experience of racing alongside the likes of Crutchlow and Zarco as teammates can only serve to speed up his development and set a high standard to compare himself against.

Crutchlow's stellar career in MotoGP yielded three race wins and nineteen podiums in total during his tenure with Yamaha, Ducati and Honda. He managed a career-best fifth place finish overall in the 2013 riders standings, finishing only behind Marc Marquez, Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa. The official announcement from LCR Honda read as follows: