MotoGP
Chinese GP: Yamaha Tech 3 Friday notes
Edwards and Toseland upbeat as Shanghai showdown begins Tech 3 Yamaha duo Colin Edwards and James Toseland are confident they can make big improvements after finishing 10th and 13th respectively on a hot and humid day of opening free practice in ...
Published: May 2, 2008, 4:47 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Edwards and Toseland upbeat as Shanghai showdown begins
Tech 3 Yamaha duo Colin Edwards and James Toseland are confident they can make big improvements after finishing 10th and 13th respectively on a hot and humid day of opening free practice in China.
A best lap of 2.01.064 secured 10th place for American Edwards, who made big steps in improving front and rear grip on his Tech 3 Yamaha YZR-M1. Edwards though is still looking to improve feeling with a new front tyre construction, which Michelin is using to cope with the specific demands of the Shanghai circuit, particularly intense heat build-up in the hard braking zones.
British rider James Toseland clocked a best time of 2.01.798 after he knocked 0.8s off his best time set in this morning's opening free practice. The Shanghai clash is another steep learning experience for Toseland, who has never raced on the 5.281km circuit, which features the longest straight on the world championship calendar Showing once again what a fast learner he is, the 27-year-old was only 0.7s behind Edwards
Colin Edwards 10th 2.01.064 -- 38 laps
"We've spent most of the day changing the bike to try and find grip and we haven't had to do that all year. We are kind of in territory we haven't been in, but we know what we need to make it better. But I'm having a bit of an issue with feeling from the front. Because we run so much temperature and there are so many hard braking points at this track, Michelin has to bring a different front tyre to what we normally run and I'm struggling with that. I can't run the lines I want because I have to deal with the harder construction that's been built to dissipate the heat. I feel like a lot of my problems are coming from the front and that is having a knock on affect for the rear. Grip could be better in the rear but when you are not carrying corner speed because of a lack of feel with the front, you hammer the throttle to make up for it on the exit and that just wears the rear tyre quicker. We changed the wheelbase and made it better and we'll have a look at the computer tonight and have a chat with Michelin to see where we are. I have got five different spec rear tyres in my allocation and I only used three today so I've still got something in the bag and I'm sure it will be better for tomorrow. My guys at Tech 3 have been working as hard as ever and I'm sure we can find a solution."
James Toseland 13th 2.01.798 -- 40 laps
"This track is not too bad to learn but there are two or three places where you really need track knowledge. But I'm 0.7s off Colin on a track I've only done 40 laps on and its more than a two minute lap, so I'm pretty pleased and confident I can move much further forward tomorrow. The main issue is learning about the bumps and getting the bike to handle them. There are a few bumps in a few tricky places and they are big enough to really upset the bike. You have to be right on a good line always to get a good lap time. Getting the bike to manage the bumps is quite tough. The set-up I had from Portugal was quite a way off for here. I was hoping the base setting I've got would really gel quickly on new tracks and if it doesn't it is quite difficult to develop the set-up, but my team are doing a great job with the time we have got. Because it is such a long lap I can't do many laps and I'm not coming back to the bits that I'm struggling on quickly enough to learn more about what I need to improve. One of the toughest places to master is the first corner. Because you are on full lean you can't brake that hard so if you are slightly too quick mid-corner for when it tightens up you have to pick the bike up and it ruins your corner speed."
-credit: tech 3
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Chinese GP: Bridgestone Friday notes
Next article New Maxtra 125cc unveiled at Shanghai
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Colin Edwards
Laguna Seca in WorldSBK history
World Superbike
World Superbike
Laguna Seca
Laguna Seca in WorldSBK history
Aprilia officially launches new MotoGP challenger
MotoGP
MotoGP
Aprilia officially launches new MotoGP challenger
Kurt Busch joins Race of Champions field
General
General
Race of Champions
Kurt Busch joins Race of Champions field
Latest news
Alex Bowman hits out at critics in snarky post, shooting down early exit rumors
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
1 h
Alex Bowman hits out at critics in snarky post, shooting down early exit rumors
Ryan Blaney gets sweet redemption after 'nightmares' following 2024 Homestead loss
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
1 h
Ryan Blaney gets sweet redemption after 'nightmares' following 2024 Homestead loss
IndyCar 2026 season review: Dale Coyne Racing
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 1 h
IndyCar 2026 season review: Dale Coyne Racing
Noah Gragson apologizes to Daniel Suarez for spinning him at Homestead
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
2 h
Noah Gragson apologizes to Daniel Suarez for spinning him at Homestead
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe