Colin Edwards and Ben Spies Start Work for Tech 3
MONTEREY, Calif., February 9, 2010 - The Yamaha Tech 3 team started
their 2010 season with a MotoGP test at Sepang, Malaysia, last week.
Refreshed after a long winter break and boosted by the impressive
performance of Yamaha's new 2010 YZR-M1 machine, Ben Spies and Colin
Edwards produced a stunning return to action as the MotoGP paddock
reconvened after a three-month winter break.
The Yamaha Tech 3 riders ended the first 2010 pre-season testing
with Spies showing more of his true potential when he clocked the
fifth quickest time (2'02.266).
Spies moved to the MotoGP World Championship to join the Tech 3
team from the Yamaha World Superbike team. Working closely with his
crew, Spies focused his efforts on continuing to adapt his riding
style to the YZR-M1 machine.
He made advancements with his braking style that managed to slice
close to a second off his best lap time set on Thursday.
"I tried as hard as I could for the first day but I've got a
little bit of jetlag and I wasn't at 100%. Despite that the new bike
is really good," said Spies. When asked about the second day of
the test, Spies replied, "I was a second faster than the first
day, so we made some good progress. I've already been getting a lot of
help and advice from Colin about the track and that is great for me
and for the Yamaha Tech 3 Team that we are working together like
that."
Edwards, who was third quickest on Thursday, finished seventh
fastest with a best time of 2'02.479. That was just over 0.2s slower
than Spies as he evaluated several different chassis and swingarm
setting options.
"After I blew off a few cobwebs this morning I've got to say
the bike worked really great and a big thanks to Yamaha,"
remarked Edwards. "They have impressed me because we knew it was
a big challenge to achieve a high level of performance while also
getting more durability out of the engine for the new rules. And they
have done that and I'm really happy, so I'm already excited about the
new season."
The Texas duo will be back at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the Red
Bull U.S. Grand Prix the weekend of July 23-25, 2010. All general
admission tickets, paddock passes, grandstand seats, parking and
general camping for the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix are now on sale by
phone at (800) 327-7322 or on-line at www.mazdaraceway.com.
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca was established in 1957. The
world-renowned raceway has been operated since its inception by the
Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP), a
not-for-profit 501C(4) corporation. Each race season, SCRAMP donates
its net proceeds to the volunteer groups that help put on
