A golden chapter in Britain's MotoGP history will come to a close at the drop of the chequered flag in Portugal, as Cal Crutchlow effectively steps down from full-time racing to take on a new role as Yamaha's official test rider.
The 35-year-old jumped into the premier class in 2011 following a single race-winning campaign in World Superbikes with Yamaha, having won the Superport world title with the marque in 2009. Rookie of the year amidst a tough debut season, Crutchlow would go onto score six podiums across 2012 and 2013 on the Tech3-run M1 before switching to the factory Ducati squad for 2014.
Coming away with one podium at Aragon after another difficult year, Crutchlow moved to Honda and LCR in 2015. He was on the podium by round three in Argentina and the following year, he ended a 35-year wait for another British MotoGP winner when he took victory in a rain-lashed Czech Grand Prix. He added another at Phillip Island in the dry - arguably his finest ride - later that year and became a factory-contracted HRC rider in 2018, adding a third win to his tally in a hectic Argentina race that season.