HERE'S one guaranteed way to annoy a rider you sponsor: start spreading rumours about them.

That's what happened when Bennetts tweeted a rumour that Cal Crutchlow was going to Ducati. Just twenty minutes after the tweet, Crutchlow bit back.

Bennetts tweeted: "Our sources tell us that Cal Crutchlow has an offer on the table from Ducati and a deal could be done as soon as Sachsenring. #MotoGP"

Crutchlow replied: "@bennetts_bike go away ! Your sources are wrong ! Could be done today , tomorrow , or next year , or 10 years !"

However, things weren't always as fractious. In an interview with Bennetts in 2011, Crutchlow was posed the question: What was it about Bennetts that attracted you to a personal sponsorship deal?

Crutchlow answered: "I’ve always been aware of Bennetts and the years of commitment to motorcycle racing with sponsorship of BSB, TV coverage of bike events, and personal sponsorships of Neil Hodgson and James Toseland and for me it’s great to work with a company who has shown so much commitment and passion over the years to the British guys."

Perhaps Crutchlow might reconsider what it was that attracted him to Bennetts' sponsorship in the first place...