Edwards rounds off first 800cc test in positive fashion

Colin Edwards completed his first test of the 800cc era with another good morning’s work at Sepang today, making more progress on the development of Yamaha’s new prototype machine and finishing the day with the 3rd fastest time in the process. Edwards once again spent the time working on general set-up with his team, especially chassis and suspension, as well as testing some new tyres for Michelin.

Suzuki rider John Hopkins was fastest again with a best lap of 2’01.64, followed by his team-mate Chris Vermeulen, who recorded a time of 2’02.04. Edwards was third with a time of 2’02.43 after 32 laps. The Camel Yamaha Team will reconvene for the final test of 2006 in Jerez, Spain, on 28th-30th November, when Colin Edwards will be re-joined by team-mate Valentino Rossi.

Colin Edwards (3rd – 2’02.43, 32 Laps): “Today was another really good day. I was quicker again and it felt really good to be able to consistently run fast times comfortably. We got a lot of great work done on a variety of things, even though we only tested in the morning. We did a fair bit for Michelin, they’ve got some good stuff and it seems pretty clear what the right direction is for us to go in with regards to tyres. We’ve played about with the chassis and the suspension, as well as a few other things, and when we came to add everything together you could see we were making some good progress. As far as getting input for the final bike they’re going to roll out for us next year, I think we’ve done a pretty good job during these three days. I’m really happy with my first test on the 800, we seem to get on okay and now I am looking forward to the next test in Jerez, where I am sure Valentino and I together can make even more progress.”

Daniele Romagnoli – Colin Edwards’ Crew Chief: “This has been an encouraging first test for our team and for Colin with Yamaha’s new 800cc bike. We’ve changed quite a bit with the overall set-up and we’ve definitely made some big improvements from the bike we first tried on Wednesday. We’ve also worked quite a lot on tyres with Michelin and found some options that seem to be working well for us. The most important thing is that Colin already seems to be getting on very well with the bike, he can ride it well and he’s been fast all week. We’re very satisfied with this first test and it seems like we’re in good shape for this stage of development.”

Unofficial Lap Times (800cc Bikes)

1.John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki, 2’01.64 2.Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki, 2’02.04 3.Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha, 2’02.43 4.Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda, 2’03.28 5.Makoto Tamada (JPN) Yamaha, 2’03.36 6.Toni Elias (SPA) Honda, 2’03.55 7.Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda, 2’04.27 8.Tadayuki Okada (JPN) Honda Test Rider, 2’04.44

Sepang Lap Record: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2006, 2’02.127

Sepang Best Lap: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006, 2’00.605