Edwards and Crutchlow set sights on double top 10 result

Edwards will start from the middle of the third row in eighth position, the American brilliantly capitalising on a range of set-up modifications to his YZR-M1 machine to post a best time of 1’57.676. The popular 37 year-old was able to run consistently inside the top 10 for the entire session, the set-up changes drastically improving front and rear grip to allow Edwards to qualify leading non-factory rider once again in 2011.

His best time was just over 0.3s away from the second row and the Texan is now confident he can challenge for his first ever top six finish at the Brno circuit in tomorrow's race, which is the 11th round of this year's MotoGP World Championship.

Crutchlow too demonstrated his encouraging speed in the early part of the session, the British rider reaping the benefits of major front-end set-up changes to give him more turning performance. Crutchlow, who was an impressive seventh quickest in a rain-affected final practice session this morning, was able to run inside the top three at one stage, as he worked on fine-tuning the race set-up of his YZR-M1 machine.

The 25 year-old seemed certain to challenge for a spot on the third row of the grid when a small mistake at Turn 10 resulted in an unfortunate crash with 12 minutes remaining. Crutchlow sprinted back to the pits to jump on his second YZR-M1 bike, but he was unable to improve on his time of 1’57.797 and will start the race from 11th. The major front-end modifications though have boosted Crutchlow's confidence in full race trim and he is aiming to battle for a top seven finish tomorrow.

Colin Edwards, 8th:

“I'm much happier today with the performance of the bike and I need to say a big thanks to my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew again for their incredible work. Yesterday I just wasn't comfortable at all and had no feeling with the front or rear of the bike. I told my crew what I was feeling on the track and it is up to them to interpret that and try and improve the bike. And today they did an absolutely awesome job and I had a much better package. I went from feeling like I was riding on marbles yesterday to having a lot of traction today and I felt much more comfortable. We actually just threw in last year's race set-up and even though I'm using a completely different chassis, it worked brilliantly, although I'm still 0.4s slower than last year. I'm not sure why that is. I'm not sure if the track lost some grip after the rain this morning because this afternoon in the dry my bike was so much better than yesterday, so I can't really compare. Looking at the calibre of the guys in front of me and what they are riding, I think to be completely realistic, I wouldn't be upset to finis h where I qualified.”

Cal Crutchlow, 11th:

“I'm happy on one hand because we made a big change to the bike to help it turn better and it was a really good step. But I'm a little disappointed on the other hand because I made a silly little mistake that probably cost me the chance to get on the third row. We were making some good progress with the new front set-up and I was faster in the first two splits than my previous best lap when I just ran in too hot at Turn 10. I should have just ran into the gravel but I tried to make the corner, squeezed the brake a bit harder and down I went. It's one of those things when you're pushing hard against this level of competition but I've felt much better on the bike here this weekend. My times have been consistently on the edge of the top six and I felt I could have probably qualified sixth or seventh. My race pace has been strong so I'm just looking forward to having a good race tomorrow and picking up valuable points.”

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 press release

Herve Poncharal For 2010 Yamaha Tech 3 Result

Hervé Poncharal, Yamaha Tech 3 boss was pleasure with his team result on 2010 MotoGP. He said that combination between Colin Edwards and Ben Spies are very good.

“We knew we would receive a very strong and talented rider in Ben and while we had high expectations we also knew the year would be a tough one. We have had some riders from superbikes who have had difficulties with the transition, but Ben has done incredibly well,” said Poncharal in review. “He was Rookie of the Year and he has done more than we expected; a pole position in Indy, he led the race for seven laps and finished on the podium, had front row starts at Brno and Phillip Island, and had a podium at Silverstone too. We cannot forget he also had to learn the tyres, the bike, some tracks, so considering all this he has done so well. Now he’ll go to the factory team which he deserves. We are losing a very good rider, but I think we helped him understand MotoGP and now he is ready to win.”

Poncharal continued: “Colin has had a strong year too. He has helped Ben in his approach to MotoGP and gave him good support, advice and information. He has been a solid team player and I’m really happy to have him for next season.”

“For sure this was Tech 3’s best combination in MotoGP, because they get along and have a lot of respect for one another, and they laugh a lot together.”

Picking out the highlights of the campaign, Poncharal said: “I think the best moment, because it came so early, was the podium at Silverstone. Ben was incredible in difficult conditions, he had crashed on the Saturday (aggravating an injured ankle) and in the race he was just so good. It wasn’t an easy race. Of course we were disappointed for him at Laguna Seca (sixth position), his home race, but in the second race in the US at Indianapolis he took his chance, got pole, led the race and finished second in front of both factory riders. For me that was the second best moment.”

“I’m really happy to have Cal next season. I think he is the best man to replace Ben. He did extremely well in 600cc (world supersport) and won that. He won a few races in his first world superbike season and finished fifth, and I think he is ready to come to MotoGP,” stated Poncharal. “He is so hungry and passionate and the kind of rider that will give 100% every day. I am very excited and it’s like a new story starting.”

“I’m highly confident we can do something very strong together. I’m hopeful we can give the same support to Cal as we have to Ben, and that he can have the same results too. I am quite sure Colin will help Cal as he helped Ben. He is very fast and a team player and has played a big role in Ben’s success, and I hope he does in Cal’s too.”