Tuesday Conversation: Colin Edwards
March 7, 2006
By CJ
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As he prepares to embark upon his fourth season in MotoGP, two-time World Superbike Champion Colin Edwards has reason to be more optimistic about his chances than ever. For the first time since he entered the series, the Texas Tornado will be with the same team that he finished the previous season with, and Team Yamaha’s bike has absolutely dominated off-season testing. What’s more, Colin bested the field at Sunday’s IRTA lap-time showdown at Circuit de Catalunya, winning the keys to a brand-new BMW Z4 M Coupe in the process. We spoke with Colin as he was driving down to Jerez for the last pre-season test before the season starts. (He was in his motor home, not the Beemer.)

Colin Edwards celebrates winning a new BMW at the IRTA showdown in Spain two days ago. Andrew Northcott photo

RRX: Congratulations on the new car, Colin!
Colin Edwards: Thanks, dude!

Going in, did you think you really had a chance to set the fastest lap time there?
Honestly, I haven’t felt like I’ve had a good feel in the rain, really since I came to Grand Prix. I haven’t ridden this year’s bike in the rain, but dating back to ’03 and ’04, I didn’t have a great feel on a Grand Prix bike in the rain yet. I hadn’t accomplished that. So honestly, going into Sunday, I was like, We’ll go in and see how it feels. My bike feels so much better than it did last year, and we’ll see if that transfers into the rain.

It was just a 40-minute session, and it was all in the rain. How did it go for you?
We went out and got going on tire A that Michelin had. A lap into it, I came in; the rear spring was way too hard. They changed that, and I went back out on the same tire. I thought, If I had any rear grip, I feel like I could do something. I came in, and Michelin had another tire that Valentino had just tried and liked. They put me on that tire, and instantly, I was like, Okay, now we’ve got some grip. Then I just started pushing—not hard, but easing into it. It was lap after lap—a second here, a couple tenths there. I was just trying to just go a bit faster and a bit faster and get a little more confident. The next thing you know, I saw a [1.]57.1, and I was like, Shit, that’s pretty quick! I was thinking 2:04 was fast when [James] Ellison did that in the beginning. My last lap, I got blocked by a few riders, and I was just hoping that nobody went faster. I didn’t realize that I had everybody beat by so much.

Did the track get any better later in the session, when the times were coming down?
I wouldn’t say it was getting better. It started to rain again in the back section with about three laps to go. Even when I went out after, it didn’t rain for probably 30 minutes, but it was so overcast that it just stayed wet. It didn’t seem any better to me. If it improved, maybe a little bit of the standing water toward the end might have brushed off, but it was nasty.

Edwards used his new, patient “250 style” to set the fastest time in the wet session. Andrew Northcott photo

So it’s safe to say you’ve found feel in the rain.
It felt pretty easy and pretty comfortable. We actually went faster later in the day, testing some rain tires for Michelin.

You’re one of the few top guys who didn’t go down.
Yeah, it’s funny, because I was riding like such a puss. I don’t really know why, but I didn’t really clamp on the brakes. My top speed down the front straight was only like 269 [kph, or 167 mph]. I think the Suzukis were 301 [187], but I was braking before the speed gun. It looks like I’m 30 k down on top speed, but I was actually just braking really early—carrying lots of momentum and speed instead of just stuffing it in there.

That sounds like the new technique you’re working on. How’s that coming along?
That’s converted; it’s changed. One good sign of that is that top speed. Being 30 k down and braking early, but carrying speed and momentum through the corners, is a testament to me making the changeover. Instead of waiting so deep and braking so hard to where you can’t even get the thing in the corner, I’m actually allowing myself some time to load the thing and carry lots of momentum. Basically, at the last few tests, we’ve been pretty much sorted on that front. The old style is nowhere to be seen. It’s not about body position; it’s braking style, throttle control. It’s what you do on the bike, not how you sit on the bike. You’re not squaring it off; it’s more like a 250 style.

For the first time in his MotoGP career, Edwards is starting a second season with the same team. Andrew Northcott photo

Throughout the whole weekend, the Yamahas were doing really well. It seems like you guys really have your things in order.
Yeah. I’m 100-percent confident we’re ready to go race. With all the work we’ve done, and dividing this and that up between Valentino and I, testing this bit and that bit, we’ve come up with one hell of a bike. Yamaha got us a great bike this year, and we’ve just got to do out and do it now.

Some of the other teams have younger riders and have changed their bikes more. Do you think keeping it simple helped you guys?
Well, you can’t develop something unless you know what you rode last. That’s basically it. On the other side of the pit, that might be a little bit of the problem. I think the guys are struggling to remember what last year’s bike felt like…. On our side, yeah, the bike hasn’t really changed a whole lot. It’s millimeters here and rigidity there, but it’s better. Everything’s better, but it’s only small measurements.

Colin feels that the Yamahas are ready, and judging by their performances in pre-season testing, he’s right. Andrew Northcott photo

Even the Tech3 guys were going fast. I know you’re a Michelin guy through and through, but what did you think about Dunlop’s performance?
It’s awesome. I think that’s just what Michelin and Bridgestone both need. They need Dunlop to be up there, and Dunlop especially needs to be up there. It’s meant to be a world championship, and Dunlop’s a worldwide manufacturer, so they need to be up there. They’ve been up there before. I think it’s awesome. The sport’s for everybody, and it’s just another team in the mix. It’s cool. As far as Checa and Ellison being up there, I think it’s another testament to how good the bike is. In my opinion, those guys aren’t on as good a tires as we’re on, but they’re still reeling off the lap times.