It's no secret that 2010 has not yet gone the way that Colin Edwards II expected it to in terms of results, especially in light of the fact that he finished fifth in the world championship last season. In 2010 the veteran American rider has struggled to consistently finish in the top five and has been quite vocal about the lack of power from his Tech 3 Yamaha. He's been linked to a possible move to the factory Ducati WSBK team for 2011.
Here at Laguna, Edwards commented about his 2010 season and what the future may hold for him in 2011.
"Well, I'm really struggling at the moment just to find ... You know me. I've never raced to finish 12th. I've never even remotely been motivated to finish top 10," Edwards said. "My whole goal since I've been at Grand Prix is adapt, adapt, adapt. I always feel like I'm struggling on a Grand Prix bike compared to what I was on a Superbike. I always feel like I'm behind the 8-ball trying to find that extra little bit. Maybe I spent too long on a Superbike to begin with. I don't know. Developed some bad habits. But the ... I would say the lack of interest ... that's a better word. To go out there and put your balls on the chopping block to make a last-lap do-or-die pass for 11th. That's not ... I've never ... I'd just as soon go home and get a hot dog stand and roll it around town. That's never been something I've been interested in."
Shortly after the season began, Edwards started complaining bitterly about the speed of his satellite Yamaha. He says that in years past, he had the measure of the satellite Hondas, but this year, Honda has stepped up their game across the board.
"It's been a big heaping pile of dog s***, is what it's been this year," Edwards says in characteristic fashion. "But, in reality, we're qualifying within ... we actually qualified faster at tracks, same bike, same everything, just slower engine. Same tires, same everything. Temperature same, you know. So we .. it's just the other guy's got better stuff at the moment. Newer stuff. The Honda satellite guys are, I think Honda probably ... I don't know. My own opinion is the Yamaha satellite team was getting a lot of press in the last year or two, and we were doing good and getting some podiums, and we were up there. We weren't fighting for victories necessarily, but I think Honda got wise, and they just said, "You know what? We'll give our guys some special stuff." And so now we've got another three, four Hondas in front of us. And another Ducati or two. It sucks. And we're still finishing 20, 30 seconds behind the leaders like we always do."
Edwards says that from his perspective, he's just getting left for dead from the apex of the corner by several Hondas. "They really weren't a problem (last year). You could see where they struggled, or they were doing what you were doing and having problems and couldn't go around a corner. Now, you follow de Puniet, and it's like, "What the hell is he on?" He just hits the gas, and the thing, it doesn't squat. It pushes the tire into the ground and it's "Ciao. See you later. Thanks for coming out.""
But will the 2010 season be the impetus for a return by the two-time WSBK champion Edwards to World Superbike?
| "My kids, ever since they've been born, I've been in Grand Prix, and they haven't seen Daddy stand at the top of the podium." -- Colin Edwards |
"I tell you what's really alluring to the World Superbike thing is I am just so pissed off, pretty much all the time now. I come to a race and I see all my friends. But the lure is basically to be happy. I would like to be happy again and fight for a victory. That's what is enticing, let's say, to look at that scenario and finish my career with a World Championship or two. At the very minimum, you're winning races and you're fighting for victories every weekend. That, I mean, that ... and you know, with the way the rules are in World Superbike now, it's, okay, maybe there's one bike right now that has a pretty big advantage. Other ones are coming along. But if you're on a factory team, you've got some pretty good stuff."
Colin Edwards' two children have never seen him win a race. His daughter, Gracie (7), watched her father during this interview, and could see his anguish. As he spoke, she walked over, put her head in his chest, hugged him, and said "I love you, Dada."
Troy Bayliss and Colin Edwards will be forever linked because of their titanic 2002 season and the final race at Imola where Edwards won the WSBK title. Edwards recognizes that Bayliss left Grand Prix and had a storybook end to his career, won races in front of his family, something that his kids will remember forever. It's something that weighs heavily on his mind.
"My kids, ever since they've been born, I've been in Grand Prix, and they haven't seen Daddy stand at the top of the podium. They've seen me stand second, and third or whatever, but that ...I think it would be, yeah, to bookend, to finish it off like that, I think it would be great."
