Tornado Warning: Australian Grand Prix :: Official site of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Colin Edwards, a Houston native nicknamed "The Texas Tornado," will offer candid insight before every MotoGP event in 2008 about the characteristics of the upcoming circuit, his tactics and possible motorcycle setup for the weekend, the personalities and rivalries of the exciting world of MotoGP, and personal anecdotes about the region where each event takes place in "Tornado Warning."

Two-time World Superbike champion Edwards, 34, is in his sixth year of MotoGP competition, riding this season for Tech 3 Yamaha. His next race is the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, Oct. 5 at Phillip Island.

The colorful Edwards competed in the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Sept. 14 at IMS along with fellow American stars Nicky Hayden, John Hopkins and Ben Spies, and MotoGP superstars Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa.

You had a rear wheelspin problem last weekend at Motegi. Was that something new?

Honestly, all year we haven't had really any traction problems. At China, we had a bit of a traction problem, a couple of other places. But for the most part, it's just been other little issues. We had a major, major rear wheelspin going on at Motegi, and it didn't really seem to matter what tire we put in. But actually, I had the bike working really good. I was really happy with it. I just couldn't get out of the corner. I could get in and get halfway around. It was just spinning out.

Still, you qualified in the top 10 and were running again in the top 10. It had to be reassuring to know that you're competitive again.

Yeah, after the last few races I've had, which have been ultimate disasters, it feels good to come back and kind of get my toe in, get my toe wet again. Australia is a track I really like, Malaysia I really like and Valencia, so I'm looking to end the year on a high note, for sure.

Phillip Island is one of your favorite tracks. What is it about that track that is so special?

I think it's everything here. The track, OK, you've got fifth-gear corners, first-gear corners, camber, off-camber, elevation, and they've managed to squeeze all of that in nine turns. It has a mixture of everything. The people here are great, the food's great, the scenery's great, the ocean is right there. Man, I don't know what's not to like about the place. The only bad thing is that it's a couple of hours from Melbourne, so you've got to drive. I can handle that.

Your father is a native of Australia. Do you still have family in Australia?

Oh, yeah. I've got cousins and uncles and aunts, and I've got everybody coming here. I think I've got about 25 people coming down.

Where are you getting hit on more for tickets, Phillip Island or Indy?

Well, all the ones for Phillip Island are usually family, and I've got a few friends that live up in Melbourne, and the family's friends. Yeah, whenever I'm home at Indy and Laguna, that's usually just friends.

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Thursday, October 2, 2008

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