Edwards: Why MotoGP would freak you out

MotoGP News
Date: 5/August/2011

Riding a MotoGP bike may be an incredible experience, but for those lucky enough to call it their day job it can be easy to forgot just how special it is.

So what does it actually feel like, when you control a finely-tuned 200mph missile at its limit?

“It's weird you ask me that because I actually had a bit of a ‘flash bulb’ moment out there today," replied Tech 3 Yamaha's Colin Edwards.

“I was going around the track like normal and as you roll into a corner you adjust your body weight - depending on if you want to put more weight on the front or the rear - and you also change your weight on each of the footpegs and each side of the handlebars.

"Then there's the throttle, the brakes and the clutch to control, plus the g-forces… It's a lot of very small movements that are constantly changing and they are all mixed together.

“It's crazy the amount of things you have to do just to get around one corner at racing speed - but at the same time I was thinking 'this is just weird' because I was doing it all automatically.

"I thought ‘if the average person could feel what I’m feeling right now, they would probably freak out!'

"For us riding these bikes hard is just natural. It’s a bit of an art form I guess.”

Edwards, a double World Superbike champion before making the switch to grand prix, believes the key to being a great rider is adapting your style to suit the bike - rather than trying to change the bike.

“In World Superbike the bikes are so heavy you have to ride it one way, and then you come here and these things are so well balanced," he said. "They don’t really move a whole lot. So you have to ride a different way. That is where Ben [Spies] did a really good job in adapting."

Since joining MotoGP in 2003, Edwards has taken twelve podiums and three pole positions. The #5 is presently eighth in the 2011 standings and the top non-factory bike rider.

The Texan, who runs his own riding school alongside his MotoGP commitments for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team, achieved a best championship ranking of fourth in 2005.