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Sunday, 19 October 2008 |
 Colin Edwards rode his Tech 3 Yamaha YZR-M1 machine to his best ever Malaysian MotoGP result today, the American finishing a scorching hot 21-lap encounter in eighth position.
With air temperatures nudging an energy sapping 40 degrees, Edwards lost four places in a frantic jostle for positions at the first corner, but quickly found the pace that saw him top the timesheets on the opening day of free practice.
The 33-year-old immediately dropped his lap times into the 2.02 bracket and seized eighth place from Loris Capirossi with a clinical move at the second corner on lap four. That move left Edwards glued to the back wheel of fellow Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo as an exciting six-rider dice from third to eighth unfolded in front of 38,500 fans.
Edwards was promoted to seventh when Lorenzo was unlucky to tumble out on lap 11 at the first corner, but he slipped back down to eighth on lap 15 when Capirossi pounced. With track temperatures hitting 42 degrees, Edwards began to encounter small grip issues and was unable to mount a counter attack. He kept a consistent pace in the extreme heat for the final few laps, but despite a determined ride, he couldn't close back in on the group in front.
James Toseland was unable to capitalise on significant steps he made with the set-up of his Tech 3 Yamaha YZR-M1 in this morning’s warm-up session. He improved front-end braking stability, but the 28-year-old slipped down to 16th after a hectic opening two laps while he tried to get the better of Anthony West and Randy de Puniet.
Pushing hard to move back into the points, Toseland crashed out when he lost the front-end at turn six on lap three. He emerged unscathed from the spill, and will be looking to end his rookie season in style in next weekend’s final round in Valencia
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Saturday, 18 October 2008 |
 Colin Edwards and James Toseland both led an eventful and exciting Malaysian MotoGP qualifying session in Sepang today before the Tech 3 Yamaha pairing had to settle for fifth and 12th on the grid respectively.
Edwards and Toseland topped the timesheets in the final ten minutes of a session that started on a wet track after torrential late morning rain had battered the 5.548km circuit. In typically hot and humid conditions at Sepang, the track dried rapidly and shortly before the halfway stage, Edwards and Toseland were able to switch to slick race tyres and qualifiers.
Having encountered some issues in the drying conditions on his full wet tyres, American Edwards quickly rediscovered his form on Michelin’s impressive slick rubber in tricky conditions, with parts of the circuit still littered with damp patches.
Edwards, who was quickest in yesterday’s dry conditions, started his charge in the final third of the session, jumping into the top three with 18 minutes remaining. With lap times dropping dramatically as conditions improved, only six minutes remained when the 33-year moved to the top of the timesheets.
His best lap of 2.02.245 on his last flying lap moved him back into second behind world champion Valentino Rossi, but with a sixth front row start of the season beckoning, he was bumped down three places in a frantic final few seconds. Today’s performance though secured Edwards his best grid position since the German MotoGP race in mid-July as he missed the front row by just 0.07s.
Edwards though has been able to consistently post some of the most competitive lap times in the dry this weekend, raising hopes of a podium challenge in tomorrow’s 21-lap race.
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Friday, 17 October 2008 |
 Colin Edwards made a stunning return to form in typically scorching hot Sepang conditions today, the Tech 3 Yamaha rider ending the opening free practice sessions for the penultimate race of 2008 with the fastest time.
The American, who was fourth quickest in this morning’s opening session, didn’t let a brief interruption caused by a short rain shower this afternoon disturb his impressive speed.
Spots of rain continued to fall for the remainder of the session, but Edwards maintained his focus to clock a best time of 2.02.667 that edged out newly crowned world champion and fellow Yamaha YZR-M1 rider Valentino Rossi by 0.171s.
In air temperatures that peaked at 32 degrees, Edwards’ performance was helped by a decision to revert back to a front-end setting he used at the beginning of the season. The modification immediately improved Edwards’ confidence with the front-end of his YZR-M1, which also helped him drastically improve his corner speed at the long and technically challenging Sepang circuit. He was one of only three riders to dip under the 2.02 mark.
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