Colin Edwards in his own words

Bagus: Hi Colin, Have you tried the new Honda V5? Good bad, or indifferent?

ColinEdwards: Yes I’ve tried it and the spec that I’ve tried was, I’m sure over 210 horsepower and it was pretty unbelievable. It’s not completely ready it still needs a bit of work but it is a good starting point.

Raysmith: Would you ever consider investing in constructing a WSB quality track in Texas? I live in LA and I would love that!

ColinEdwards: The problem with Americans and road racing motorcycles is, much as I hate to say it we’re lazy. We like to sit in our chair and drink our beer and eat our hotdogs. As for as walking round a track we’ll leave that to the Europeans! And I don’t think it would really be a success in Texas anyway

Dale: I was wondering how you learnt to ride sports bikes as I know there is literally nothing but straight roads around Houston and most of Texas. You have to go to Mexico to find a twisty bit!

ColinEdwards: Well, I didn’t do that much riding on the road. Most of my two wheels experience came from motocross. As far as racing on the road I got straight on a race track and was fast straight away. So as far as Texas roads I didn’t spend much time on them

elliotzx6r: Have you ever ridden the other manufactures bike and how did they compare to your bike?

ColinEdwards: Obviously, I rode the Yamaha for a few years. I rode a Ducati streetbike, back in 97. I haven’t really ridden any race machines compared to mine so I wouldn’t really know. If I had the chance I’d love to try a Ducati to see what the differences were

Alan: Having ridden the Honda V5, do you feel that the 4 stroke bikes could win a race, let alone the championship next year in GP’s?

ColinEdwards: My opinion is that it’s the first year. First year, normally you have problems. As far as winning a race, sure, no problems. As for winning a championship, if they put Valentino on it, then possibly. Any other rider, I don’t know

Lemon: How do you feel the championship would change with 1,000 cc 4-cylinder machines?

ColinEdwards: Initially I think it’s a good idea. V-twins are 1000 now, so why not everything. I think it would be great. It would change the domination of Ducatis especially.

Whizzkid: Colin you raced very well at the weekend, big speed difference from the previous races. What made the difference this time, was it purely horsepower?

ColinEdwards: Not so much even horsepower just the package was so right. We had big front chatter problem all weekend that we fixed sunday morning, and the Michelins worked well all weekend, better than Dunlop

Triax: How do you think Valentino Rossi compares to Mick Doohan?

ColinEdwards: Valentino is younger, and maybe wiser. He is still just a kid at heart I believe, but he’s got the world in the palm of his hands right now more so than even Mick had. So how they compare is, Valentino could be the greatest motorcycle rider that ever lived. As long as he stays on his present career path.

Bagus: Do you really think that Foggy could have kicked Doohan’s arse in GP?

ColinEdwards: Foggy had a chance a couple of times. he rode the 500s and made a mess of things. I think as far as kick his ass…definitely not. I think Mick would have handed him his ass on a silver platter! To add, it’s just two totally different bikes. Doohan could have probably kicked Foggy’s ass on a superbike, but who knows

Neilpeel: Who’s faster Colin Edwards or Rossi?

ColinEdwards: Oh, there we go again. Different bikes, different riders. A Suzuka he was definitely fast on my bike. On a superbike we’d have a race sure, and on a GP bike give me a year to learn and the gloves would be off. But to answer the question of who is faster I have to say it’s ME!

Paul: Hi Colin, Why has the team changed the exhaust into 2 into 1 and is there a power gain?

ColinEdwards: Yes, slight power gain. That’s the only reason. It’s made the power just a bit smoother. We had a whole in the power range and now it’s gone.

Lemon: In your opinion, which circuit draws the best crowd (with regards to atmosphere)?

ColinEdwards: The best circuit for crowds is…for sure Brands. It’s more or less a stadium for people to check everything out. They get top see a lot of the track and I’ve never had more people tell me to kick Foggy’s ass than at Brands! I think it’s the British mentality to build em up and knock em down.

Zeus: What seems to be the deal with Okada, is he just not comfortable on the V-twin?

ColinEdwards: No real answer to that. I don’t know. Sometimes he’s ok. Sometimes he’s not. At the 8 hour he was unbelievable and he rode out of his skin, then sometimes on the weekend. I don’t know, maybe the fire isn’t burning as hard as it should be.

SeanW How do you get such great starts – is it something you do or is it the bike?

ColinEdwards: Yes, it’s a little trick that I do with the bike. Anybody who’s paying attention and watches five or six starts in a row will pick up on it, but I can’t tell you what it is. It’s just something that allows it to launch smooth, but I can’t tell you, because I don’t want anyone else knowing.

Racerplatty: Do you think you would have won the world title last year is Foggy was there to beat you?

ColinEdwards: I’m bored with that question. Next!

Kxanimal: Hi Colin just wanted to ask if you are still in to dirtbikes and do u get round to doing much of it now? Also what dirtbikes have you got if u have got any? Cheers mate!

ColinEdwards: I have a 1999 CR250, that hasn’t been ridden since January of 2000. I don’t get to ride much. I just have no time. I’d love to, but just no time.

Triax: What bikes do you own in your private collection?

ColinEdwards: My own collection is a Yamaha TZ250 from 92 which I won the AMA championship on. My CR250 and two Polleni pocket bikes. One is painted like my 97 bike and one painted like my championship winning bike. Just because I race, that’s my job but I`m not much of a collector. I’m a collector of old cars not motorcycles.

Lemon: So what about Hodgson? Do you think he would be a front-runner if he had a factory ride?

ColinEdwards: Hodgson’s fast. There’s no question about whether he’s a front-runner or not. I think it’s a question of the difference between British and World championships. In England, the conditions were right with warm tracks, softer rubber. Over here the conditions vary and there are faster racers to race with. Hodgson does deserve the credit he’s got, no doubt, he does ride the wheels off the thing.

MCN: Do you think Hodgson could ever win a WSB title?

ColinEdwards: Maybe, when I retire

Nedkelly: What’s the deal with Corser and Aprilia in your opinion?

ColinEdwards: For me, the bike is hit or miss. Some places it works really good and some it’s really bad and there’s no middle of the road I can see.

Gsxer400: Does the team have anything up its sleeve for this weekend?

ColinEdwards: Yeah, we’ve got a new paintscheme, that’s about it. the colours are just a little different and you’ll see it , when you see it on tv

DPC: Give us your prediction for the top three finishes at Assen.

ColinEdwards: Dry: Me, Bayliss, Bostrom for both races. Wet: Me, Taddy, Bayliss for both races

Kebabman: Do you have any pre-race rituals or lucky charms?

ColinEdwards: The only pre-race thing I do, is I’ve put my helmet on and I go over and give my wife a kiss and she gives me a kiss on the front of the helmet

ColinEdwards: Thanks a lot to everyone, and i`m sorry, but I’ve got to go to a team meeting now, and I can’t be late. Thanks to everyone for your support and I hope I’ll reward you all on Saturday.