Tech 3 boss: Colin Edwards ‘perfect’ for Yamaha/Michelin development role

Colin Edwards is the perfect choice to spearhead Yamaha’s intensive preparations for the switch to Michelin tyres in 2016.

That’s the view of the American’s former Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team boss Herve Poncharal, who worked with Edwards between 2008 and 2011.

The double World Superbike champion has been signed by Yamaha to be its official test rider, with his primary focus adapting the 1000cc YZR-M1 prototype to Michelin tyres.

The French brand is taking over from Bridgestone as the exclusive tyre supplier for MotoGP in 2016, and 40-year-old Edwards has already made his Michelin test debut at a behind-closed-doors test at the Twin Ring Motegi in Japan last month.

Poncharal said Edwards’s vast experience of the YZR-M1 and Michelin tyres, which he extensively developed previously in World Superbikes and MotoGP, will be invaluable to help Yamaha be as prepared as possible for the transition away from Bridgestone.

Poncharal told MCN: “I am really happy that Colin will be playing a big role in the development of the M1 and the Michelin tyres and it is very good news for us. He knows about the technical aspects of the sport, particularly the tyres and the chassis. We could see how good his input was when he rode for us and very often we had a lot of top Yamaha engineers in our garage listening to him, even though sometimes he was behind the full factory riders. Each time his comments were very closely monitored. He still has the speed to do really well and he knows all the tracks. He has a lot of experience with Michelin from the past and he knows Bridgestone and Yamaha very well, so he is the perfect choice. I know he is very happy to do that because he loves to be involved in the technical side and this is the best choice Yamaha could have done.”