Duo gives Tech 3 boss 'cold sweats'
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 boss Herve Poncharal admits Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso's close battles are giving him "cold sweats".
The Brit and Italian have provided plenty of entertainment to fans so far this season as they have been almost inseparable at every single race.
It was no different at last weekend's race at Le Mans when they were once again neck and neck with Dovizioso just edging his teammate for P7.
Poncharal says it's good to see his riders being so competitive, but he admits it's not always good for his health.
"It gives me cold sweats at every race! Both riders, although they are very different in their ways, in terms of bike development and riding styles are always within the same times," he told motogp.com.
"Watching both so close in every race is not good for my heart. When it's always your two riders that are wheel to wheel it's scary! Especially since every rider always wants to beat his teammate.
"There is a very good atmosphere between the two but there is also a battle to be the No 1 Tech3 rider. This year more than ever, since there are many places open at the end of the season, and everyone wants to position themselves for a good ride in 2013."
Crutchlow finds himself fourth in the standings after four races with 45 points while his teammate is just one behind him.
Poncharal admits things have gone better than expected.
"Our season so far has been exceptional. I never imagined that we'd find ourselves in this situation after four races," he said.
"We made the front row in three out of four races, so we have shown that we are fast. In the races, we are still behind the three aliens, meaning we have been the 'best of the rest'. This is very, very good. At Le Mans, we saw that the podium was possible. Unfortunately, as is often the case when you push too hard in the rain, it does not always end as you had planned."
