Colin Edwards confirms Tech 3 Yamaha exit

Colin Edwards could ride a highly-tuned Yamaha R1-powered bike in the 2012 MotoGP world championship having finally confirmed he will be leaving the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 squad at the end of 2011.

As MCN revealed last month, the Texan will move to the Italian-based Forward Racing outfit, which currently contests the Moto2 series.

The 37-year-old will make an official announcement about his plans tomorrow nigth in Misano, but it looks unlikely he will race a modified BMW S1000RR engine in a Suter chassis as was expected.

Edwards is hoping to retain his long association with Yamaha by securing a deal to lease WSB-spec R1 engines. And it is understood he’s also approached his current Tech 3 Team to design and build the chassis, as the French squad does for its own Moto2 project.

Edwards and Tech 3 were remaining coy about the collaboration, but Edwards did confirm to MCN in Indianapolis that he would be involved in a new project next season.

“I won’t be riding at Tech 3 next year that’s for sure. I’ve kind of known I wasn’t going to be here for a while. I got big ties with Yamaha throughout my career so we are trying to put something together. The pieces of the puzzle are sitting there but we’ve to sort it all out,” said Edwards, who had also talked to BMW’s World Superbike squad.