French MotoGP: Colin Edwards disappointed despite third

Colin Edwards admitted he was disappointed with his French GP result today, even though the American helped Yamaha claim its first podium clean sweep since 2001.

The Texan was third to claim his ninth MotoGP podium to hand the Tech 3 Yamaha squad its first rostrum since 2004 as he passed a fading Dani Pedrosa on lap 22.

That move secured him his first rostrum since last July’s British GP at Donington Park but he said: “I honestly thought that today was going to be my day with the pace I’d been able to run all weekend.

“I was fastest in free practice, fastest in the warm-up and second on the grid so I had high expectations. I really thought I could have got my first win out there, but I’ll still settle for third because it was a tough race.

“I thought I’d got a good start and then Casey and Dani came flying by and it was almost impossible to pass them. I tried everything, but they just didn’t make any mistakes and I couldn’t get close enough. I wanted to get by them because looking at my lap times I know I had more in the locker, but I couldn’t pass.

“They just had the jump on me coming out of the corners with acceleration and it would have taken a risky move for me to do it. I’m an experienced rider and those guys are fighting for the world title while I’m in fifth, so I wasn’t going to do anything stupid.

“And when Valentino came blazing by like a cowboy with his guns shooting I knew he was going to push hard and that it would be tough for me. Casey had a problem and I got by him and then I passed Dani, as he seemed to check a bit at the first corner because of the rain. I didn’t think the rain was that bad and the lap times were not that much slower.”