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Colin Edwards Teleconference Transcript
by keith patti
Saturday, April 16, 2005
This is a transcript of the Colin Edwards teleconference interview arranged yesterday by Dorna, Laguna Seca Raceway and presumably Yamaha US.
Q Colin, you qualified well today. Is that just happenstance?
A I just got lucky, man. No, I'm just playing. No, we obviously found something good the day after Jerez. With Michelin, we got some help from them in the testing. We went to Jerez and it wasn't that great but we figured it out and it's going good now.
Q Do you share information with Rossi? Does your information help him or if you find some information that makes you faster do you keep it to yourself?
A We're a team. Whatever comes my way or his way, we can look at whatever we want, whatever data we got. And I think it's even with the Tech 3 team, with Ruben. Yamaha says we share information so there's no secret information. We just happened to get the balance right. Once you get the balance right the bike just works a lot better and that's basically what we did.
Q A lot of European riders don't like Laguna because it's so tight compared to some of the other tracks and it's got two real fast downhill turns. Do you think that situation favors the Yamaha or do you think it's all a matter of setup?
A I can't wait to get to Laguna. You all know it's kind of hard to run good there. It's not a real horsepower track. It will be interesting. The last bike I rode there was a superbike, and to get a Grand Prix bike there it's definitely going to be difficult. It's going to be a challenge to get the bike set up. The Yamaha works good there, just trust me on that.
Q How do you feel coming back to Laguna Seca with a new bike, with the Yamaha?
A Like I've said before, Laguna is the Hollywood of motorcycling. It's got good people, good food, good atmosphere. The place is unbelievable. Racing belongs there, especially Moto Grand Prix racing. It's been at rest for long enough and Yamaha put in a big effort to get us back over there. I couldn't be more excited about it. On the superbike it was always a spot on the schedule but this is a big event coming back after so many years.
Q Is racing in the USGP more special that racing on the superbike?
A Any race at Laguna is special for me, even when I rode 250s back in '92. I think Laguna is Laguna. It doesn't really matter what event you go to. The atmosphere, the people, like I said. I haven't raced a Grand Prix there so I can't really answer that question. But I'm sure with all the media and all the crowds it's going to be bigger and better than it's ever been.
Q It's early in the season, but can you describe what it's like with Valentino as a teammate?
A It's been good. We started our friendship or whatever you want to call it back in 2000 when we did the Suzuka (8 hour) together. In 2001 again we just carried on that friendship. As far as teammates, I couldn't think of anybody in the paddock I'd rather be teammates with. We get along great. You've got a multi-world-champion developing the bike with you. How could it be bad? That's the question. We get along great and I enjoy it. It's probably the only time in my career where I've walked out of the garage and I hear everybody "(gasp) awww." [because it's not Rossi.] You know? It's pretty funny and every day it's a different event. It makes it fun.
Q The Americans are obviously excited to be coming to this event. What kind of reaction do you think we can expect from the rest of the MotoGP riders that have never seen the place? Is it an intimidating racetrack for a first-timer?
A You have your guys who go with the flow and your guys who go against the grain. There will be some guys who love it. We'll just have to wait and see what happens. Obviously the safety commission, the four guys that look at the track, Kenny Roberts, Valentino, Sete, they all know what we're in for. I think it's going to be a good event. It's impossible to make everybody happy, but I think at the end of the weekend everybody's going to walk away with a smile on their face.
Q Will it be difficult for a lot of those guys going there for the first time? Will they adjust pretty quick?
A It will be difficult. I know how I'd be. The track has the corkscrew, going up the hill, turn one. It has a few lines in there that take experience. You don't just learn them overnight. I think it will be difficult for a couple of the guys. The guys that have ridden the track will definitely have somewhat of an advantage.
Q You and a couple of the guys with World Superbike experience here know what to expect. Do you think that gives you a pretty strong leg up? Or are all of these guys in the GP field experienced enough to quickly adapt?
A I think a good baseline is you can look at Qatar last year, you look at China in a couple weeks' time, to see what happens. You have your guys who develop pretty quick and get a track sorted pretty fast, and then you have guys who might need one, two, three years of experience to learn where all the bumps are. Riders are different in every aspect in that situation. I do believe that the riders who have been there will have an advantage. There are a couple of bumps, a couple of secret lines that you only know about from riding around there. I can say 100% that the first day you'll have four Americans on the top. That's the way I'm looking at it at the moment.
Q Some folks have described Laguna as a very technical track. Do you feel that's true? And the Americans with some of their tech background, do you think that's going to give them a hand up?
A I'll back that up, it's a very technical track. It's not a real horsepower track. It doesn't really matter. You can get on any bike we got here in grand prix and it's going to have too much power for the track. So it has no issue with power. It's just a matter of setting. You get the bike right, get the suspension right and get the balance working and you never know who will get up on top there.
Q With your experience on a couple of different bikes here, are you going to be able to draw on that for your baseline setup or is that all out the window because of the difference in the bikes?
A I think that's pretty much out the window. The last bike I rode was the superbike around there. And that's a lot more weight and a lot less power. Tires, profile, construction, everything's all different now. What we used to do from track to track, now we have to start from scratch. In the Yamaha pit there's a pretty good baseline setting that will work.
Q Will being back in the U.S. give you a boost of confidence to help you do better here?
A For the last couple years my home race has been Phillip Island. That's the race where most of my family comes, my dad's side of the family anyway. It's always good to have a home race. Myself I always perform a bit better under pressure. I think that everybody does when it's a home race. So I'm excited. I'm definitely excited. I got half of Texas coming, so I'm going to be ready.
Q Can you describe the level of competition in MotoGP compared to other races you've done?
A It's phenomenal. The level of competition is like nothing I ever thought it would be. When I was riding superbike I'd watch these guys on TV and say, "Why is Valentino winning every race?" And getting over here and putting it on paper that there are eight, nine, ten world champions on the grid and accustomed to winning lots of races, that he's passed. It's unbelievable. It just doesn't get any higher. It's like having ten Tiger Woods out on a golf course trying to kill one another. It's pretty serious.
Q Why do they call you the Texas tornado?
A I don't know. I was hoping you would be able to tell me that. I think it might have been an old Cycle News issue that came out when I was young, and it just kind of stuck from that.
Q Laguna has a reputation of having a slightly less abrasive track surface. I don't want to say more slippery but you know what I mean. How do you think that compares to other tracks that you're racing on?
A Well it's no picnic here today (at Estoril). The one thing about Laguna is usually at that time of year we get pretty good weather and I think it doesn't really matter how abrasive it is as long as we get temperature. As long as we get temperature we get the tires to work. We deal with all kinds of surfaces throughout the year. Look at Qatar which is smooth as a baby's you-know-what. Then you've got a track like here (Estoril) that's more porous. That's not really an issue. It's temperature. As long as we get the right temperature we won't have a problem with it.
Q Will you bring some nationalistic fervor and say, "Laguna Seca is my place and you guys have to beat me when you're in my land."
A Why wouldn't I think that way? You know everybody I know is coming to the race. I want to win there. It's the only thing I'm thinking of. If they want to win, anybody else out there, they've got to beat me on my turf. That's how you think of Laguna, always.
Q Do you hear the crowd when you're out there in the middle of the race?
A You're focused on the motorcycle going 200 miles an hour. Beyond that you're not focused on much. I can't honestly remember focusing on a crowd except maybe Brands Hatch's stadium atmosphere. You're pretty much thinking the next corner or two corners in front of you. You're not thinking of much else, especially with the group of guys I'm racing with. You don't think about too much except what you're doing.
Q How does it feel to share the spotlight with one of the biggest stars of motorcycling ever?
A I've known him for a long time and it's great. I don't have to claw my way out of the motorhome or sneak out the back door. I can just walk out the front door. It's great. There's good and bad to everything. I don't have a problem with it. Let all the pressure be on him and I can just go out there and fight and do what I can do.
Q Earlier you said, before you raced in MotoGP you used to ask yourself, "Why does Valentino win every weekend?" Have you come any close to answering that question?
A I can kind of answer that question. The guy is phenomenal. I've seen how he works, I know how he works. And it's his attitude. There's not one inclination of 'Maybe I might just get beat.' He doesn't think that in any way, shape or form. To beat him it's going to take 27 or 28 perfect laps. And I don't even know if that's enough. The guy has a will and determination that I've never seen, I never experienced. And that's what puts Vale where he is.
Q What about the electronic devices you have on the bike, coming from a superbike where it's just mainly a motorcycle?
A With the superbike, it was 180 horsepower or whatever and you controlled it all with your right wrist. I rode the Aprilia one-to-one and tried to control it with my right wrist for about ten minutes and I came back in and said, 'Give me the electronics.' And that thing put out about 216 horse. These things with 230, 240 whatever they're putting out, I think without the electronics you'd be up the creek without a paddle. At the moment it's essential. You are as good as your programmer. We can sit and talk about this for hours. It is a vital part of setting up at the moment. All the electronics are involved in that, as far as weight transfer, spin control, anti-wheelie control, the whole nine yards.
Q Your lap record still hangs on the wall at Oak Hill in Texas. When is a big Texas oil man going to build a proper race track in Texas so the AMA and MotoGP can race there?
A I know the Ducati world Superbike team tested at Texas World Speedway in the middle of August. Why? I have no idea. Maybe someone will come and spend lots of money. That's what we need.
Q What's your opinion on last week's race, on the last corner? Do you think Valentino did the right thing or was he in the wrong?
A If I was Valentino I would have done exactly the same thing. I'm a motocrosser so that's fine with me. Rubbing is racing. Some people may say it's just over the line. But honestly when we're racing, we put some passes on one another, and we're back in the field where no one can see it. So, last lap, last corner, you can't expect anyone to relax. These guys are going for it. At that particular moment, it's not 'hang my neck out and take a little risk.' It's do or die. That's the way you think in the last corner. I don't see a problem with it.
Q Can you paint a picture of what a MotoGP race is for someone who has not experienced one?
A Imagine going to the Superbowl seventeen times a year. That's pretty much what we got going on. We go to different countries and we just bring the Superbowl with us. It's crazy. Then you have your die-hards that might travel along, fans that might come to two or three races each year. But for the most part it's the local people from that country, that come from everywhere in that country to see a grand prix. And it's crazy. They've got V8 engines out in the back of a truck with megaphones hanging out the back, just making noise. And they keep that going until five in the morning. They do some weird stuff buy it's all part of the atmosphere.
Q And everyone is really knowledgeable about the sport.
A In the states nobody is really knowledgeable about the sport. Valentino, some people might know. But other than that you couldn't find anybody that knows anyone else. You ask an eight or nine year-old little girl in Spain who any of the grand prix riders are and they'll tell you. It's strange, it's really weird. Maybe you could compare it to football in the US. Or maybe NASCAR to an extent, but bigger than that even.
Q Can you talk about some of the differences transitioning this year from the Honda to the Yamaha?
A It's fun to ride a motorcycle again. That's a big transition. I'm not sure about last year. I had that machine chatter everywhere I went. On the Yamaha I'm more comfortable. On the Yamaha you've got to be really smooth. I get along with it. My riding style seems to suit the Yamaha a lot better than the Honda.
Q Are there any particular aspects about the bike that make it better for you?
A It turns. That's the one aspect. It actually turns. The Honda was point-and-shoot.
Q Is the Yamaha's ability to turn in the engineering of the frame? Is one a little stiffer than the other?
A We can go on for hours about this. It's everything. Engine configuration to engine weight to center of gravity to wheel offset. What rigidity? What tire construction? It goes on and on and on. You add it all up together and you have a bike that works or one that doesn't. You have to find the pieces and put them all in the right place. My opinion is I've got a really good job. All the pieces seem to be fitting and the bike works really good.
Q How much of that is Valentino's input with respect to development last year?
A It's easy to sit here and say it's Valentino. But you have to look at the big picture. It's some of the Japanese that came into power. You have to look at the engine configuration and the firing order they decided to do. Valentino was definitely a key aspect and so was his crew chief, but it's the engineers. You can bring all these pieces and you test it and you say that's better, that's worse. But where the genius part comes is the guy behind the scenes who's bringing you these pieces. When they bring you the good pieces it's easy. When they don't bring you the good pieces, everything's crap. Obviously everything's not crap.
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