Cal Crutchlow: close encounters of the soccer kind
His career on two wheels has been glittering already, but he could have possibly gone for glory in another sport altogether - football. Or if you are North American, soccer... The American reference is very apt, as Cal Crutchlow was named after legendary American racer, Cal Rayborn.
Despite his relative lack of height, Crutchlow was a very keen and gifted football player as a kid, and was involved in the youth systems of Coventry, his home city, and Aston Villa, the latter being a giant of the English game even now.
As a young kid Cal was not interested in racing much, despite his father Derek being a racer himself. But when Cal finally caught the bug for racing, at around age 11, any thoughts of a career in football went by the wayside. With one World Championship in his pocket already, and the real prospect of more, he's never looked back.
