Edwards tops damp test

Colin Edwards has squeezed past his team-mate Valentino Rossi to take the fastest lap on the first day of a damp Yamaha MotoGP test at Phillip Island, Australia, but Rossi pulled a trump card by getting nominated for a Sportsman of the year award.

Both riders suffered from the morning rain and overcast sky that stopped the track from drying all day and although they managed to test a number of tyres and settings, neither were happy with the results.

“The track conditions were really bad; it was so slick because it had rained all day yesterday.” said Edwards. “I did 60 laps but a lot of that was just trying to lay down some rubber on the track. We worked a bit on set-up and tried some tyres, but it was cold and therefore difficult to get the tyre temperature high enough to do much useful work. We were doing good things two weeks ago here but we didn’t have the same feeling today, but I am sure things will improve with the weather!”

Fortuna Yamaha riders Ruben Xaus and Toni Elias were also at the track with Xaus taking the third fastest time behind Rossi and Elias coming in 0.17 seconds down.

But Rossi should still be happy. He has just been nominated for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award and he will be up against the likes of F1 driver Michael Scheumacher, cyclist Lance Armstrong and world tennis number 1 Roger Federer for the accolade.

Unofficial Lap Times:

Colin Edwards 1:31.27

Valentino Rossi 1:31.38

Ruben Xaus 1:33.02

Toni Elias 1:33.19