MotoGP Interview – Colin Edwards at Mugello
During the great Mugello MotoGP weekend we were able to interview Colin Edwards. The Texan rider, after a tough start of the season, is really looking forward for a good result. Here is what the #5 Monster Yamaha Tech3 rider had to say to our MRR mic in the MotoGP paddock:
I know you’ve heard this one already, but how good does it feel to have an all Texan team?
Colin Edwards: It’s great fun this year, we’ve known each other for a while and we were able to do the Mancation thing – that was cool.
Usually people say that a rider loses a second per lap for each son but it seems that this rule doesn’t apply to you . What is your secret?
Colin Edwards: Well, that is something that’s true for some riders and it is not for others. Fortunately I’m in the last group, so I continue to push as hard as I can. Actually, it took me a while to learn how to ride well a MotoGP bike and to be honest – I keep learning everytime I get out on the bike. The hard thing for me was to brush off all the World Superbike habits I had in my riding style but I guess that is true for all the riders that come from there.
After your efforts in 2009, you now are in a very good position in order to have great fun in this season. Since you made the top 5 last year, what are your goals for 2010?
Colin Edwards: Well, this year started like a disaster for us. We are changing methods right now, getting back to the last year’s settings and try to move forward with that.
What are your thoughts for the race here in Mugello?
Colin Edwards: Mugello has never been a great track for me but I’ll do my best and I think we are going to have our chance to make a good race. We have a good set up from last year, where I made my best ever finish here (Editor’s Note: sixth place). Of course we can improve our time from the FP1 (4th); we already started with the set up of last year so I’m confident we can improve this. You know, first time I raced here I was around ’52s, and this was with 990s, so I’m getting better.
Tell us a bit more about Mugello, what do you like the most?
Colin Edwards: There are some very nice parts in this track, like the arrabbiata one and two corners (Editor’s note: double uphill right hander), but if I really had to compare this track to another one my choice would be Laguna Seca. They can be very similar, with multiple kinds of sections where you need a compromise in the set up. The hardest section could be even the last corner, Bucine corner, where you really need a perfect exit to make the a good lap time and braking in the first corner which is San Donato.
Plus, after a very long straight you got a really bumpy corner in turn one. How can you handle that?
Colin Edwards: Well, it’s part of the game. Mugello has been always like that, we all know where the bumps are and we can take care of them.
How is riding with this great crowd? Jerez was wonderful too but Mugello could be great as well. What do you think?
Colin Edwards: To be honest I think my biggest fans come from England, but maybe Italy is in second place and France third. Besides this, I can tell you that fans are great both in Spain and here in Italy as well. Here you have a really great passion for the two wheels, something very difficult to find somewhere else. You can see it in the people’s eyes, I always have good feelings with this kind of crowd. I always had great fun when I was living here in Italy in 2004.
You won two World Superbike titles, racing with one of the greatest riders the series ever had: Troy Bayliss. What do you think of him?
Colin Edwards: I would always say that in World Superbike my friend and competitor will be Troy Bayliss. When I was there it was always me and him most of the time, fighting each other. Great time, really. I think the electronics extended a racer’s life in the end, nowadays forty is not a ridiculous number anymore.
Since you’ve been also Valentino Rossi’s teammate, do you prefer to have an Italian or a Texan rider in the other part of the garage?
Colin Edwards: It was fun with Valentino, I love him and it was very relaxing too. I really cannot say I prefer Valentino or Ben, it’s about the same and I have a really good time on this team as I had on the other one with Vale. He really helped me a lot when we were on the same team, with Ben we are at completely opposite ends of our career right now so that is good for us too.
(And now a couple of questions directly from our MotoGP fans:)
How do you handle jet lag and racing??
Colin Edwards: Well, I can tell you that I’ve got a tactic: I sleep in different parts of the day, just like dogs do. In that manner I can collect all the sleep that I need.
Do you think this season you are going to have the right bike to win a race? And do you feel that the improvements made on the M1 for 2010 will help the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team compete for podiums each race amongst the factory Yamaha, Ducati, and Honda boys?
Colin Edwards: Well, as I said the season didn’t start in the right manner. We had already a couple of races out of the top ten and I can tell you that it was the first time for me to finish twelfh in two races in a row. We really had to turn the bike upside down and start going in a new way starting from the set up of 2009. I think we have lots of room for podiums and probably the best chance ever to win a race.
