Krummenacher accuses own team of slowing him in WorldSSP title fight

Randy Krummenacher says he doesn’t ‘care about the consequences’ coming his way after he levelled a startling attack at his own Evan Bros. BARDAHL Yamaha WorldSSP outfit, accusing it of slowing him down in his title battle with his team-mate Federico Caricasulo.

The experienced Swiss rider has been locked in an intense battle with Caricasulo for the 2019 World Supersport title since the start of the season, the pair winning seven of this year’s 12 races so far between them.

With four wins to his name, Krummenacher heads into the Qatar season finale with an eight-point advantage over his Italian counterpart but he says he isn’t confident he can withstand the youngster because the engine on his Yamaha R6 is slower.

He says this is because the Evan Bros. team is ‘really obviously slowing’ him down to give his team-mate Caricasulo a better chance of winning. 

 “It was a tough race,:” he started in an interview with Eurosport. “I am straight and very honest, I don’t care about the consequence. It is really obvious they slowed me down, my engine doesn’t really go at all and I cannot stay in the slipstream. 

“The team boss," he replied when asked who was slowing him down. "Because obviously they need to let Caricasulo win. I never had such a slow bike and I can’t stay in the slipstream off the GMT bike and I am pissed off, because they have to give me the same as him and they obviously don’t give the same. It’s very clear."

"I'm always very honest and don't care about the consequences..."



When an interview starts like that you know it's going to kick off!#ARGWorldSBK @67Shakey @matt77roberts @speedyhaydon pic.twitter.com/evQCffFjBm

— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) October 13, 2019

If Caricasulo wins in Qatar, Krummenacher needs to finish second to him in order to secure a maiden WorldSSP title.

“I don’t know [how Qatar will go] because I don’t have a better engine than this, all I can do is fight, fight like in this race but it’s really hard - really, really hard

Why is Randy Krummenacher accusing his own team?

It’s surprising – but not unheard of – to have a rider criticise his own team, but unprecedented to find one doing so as he leads the championship in the midst of a title fight.

Krummenacher – who has led the standings since round one - and Caricasulo have been remarkably evenly matched throughout the year, going toe-to-toe in four consecutive rounds mid-way through the year and coming out honours even.

However, the fight has become increasingly tense, with both riders crashing out separately in France, before Krummenacher finished down in seventh in Argentina with Caricasulo fifth after running off whilst fighting for the lead. Now Krummenacher’s pointed words are likely to add a further dimension to their title battle

So why does Krummenacher believe Evan Bros. BARDAHL – which has never contested a WorldSSP title before – is favouring Caricasulo? Though Yamaha wouldn’t admit it, it is likely to see more worth in Caricasulo winning the 2019 WorldSSP title.

The Italian is the toast of Yamaha’s young rider programme – bLU cRU – and it has already been decided that he will progress to WorldSBK in 2020 with the GRT Yamaha team. Looking at the best laps and speeds from the weekend, Caricasulo does generally have an advantage in a straight line, though he was quicker than all riders. Krummenacher’s best is only 1km/h shy of his team-mate’s, though it works out he was around 4 to 5km/h slower down the straights across the timed sessions.

Regardless, it’s an extraordinary criticism to level at your own team from the more advantageous position and with the title decider to come.

Ironically, in a season that has seen the Evan Bros. BARDAHL team dominate, the in-fighting has even opened up the potential of an entirely different champion in Jules Cluzel, whose win in Argentina kept him in the hunt, albeit at a distant 22 points adrift.

If Krummenacher’s Yamaha wasn’t being ‘turned down’ as he claims in Argentina, one wonders what waits for him in Qatar and whether his team will want to celebrate any title win if and when it happens.

As for the future, Krummenacher has been linked with a return to WorldSBK with Go Eleven Ducati, continuing in Supersport with another team or a switch to the MotoAmerica championship.