Make The Punishment Fit The Crime

The mental picture of Freddie Spencer standing in aloof silence with his arms folded, facing up to an irately gesticulating Cal Crutchlow, will linger long in the mind.

That at least was how Crutchlow described what happened after the Argentine GP, and it is easy to imagine. Crutchlow is one of those people who does irate pretty comprehensively. And Freddie is well-practiced at being impassive. It’s the unstoppable force meeting the immovable object, all over again.

In the unlikely event that you haven’t seen the video of Crutchlow supposedly jumping the start, for which he was hit with the standard, one-size-fits-all ride-through penalty, let me explain.

The 2018 winner was poised on his factory LCR Honda, eyes on the lights, clutch to the bar, revs on the limiter. A split second before the start, his bike moves forward. Less than an inch, the front wheel just about touching the start of the white line marking his grid slot.

His explanation made perfect sense. Rather than trying to gain any unfair advantage, he was just anticipating the moment, moving from the balls of his feet onto his toes.

Half a second later, he was off, a strong start, putting him sixth into the first corner from eighth on the grid. So far so good. Then, on the third lap, his dashboard display comes up with the dreaded message. “Jump start. Ride through.”