'Gladiator' Edwards in trouble for girlfriend jokes

MotoGP News

Date: 20/06/2011

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 MotoGP star Colin Edwards had some explaining to do after wife Alyssia found out about the comments he had made on stage at Silverstone.

While being interviewed in front of fans after qualifying for the British MotoGP, Edwards managed to twist a 'serious' question about Yamaha needing him for his development experience, into a discussion about the sexuality and girlfriends of his fellow Yamaha riders!

"Well, I fear Jorge [Lorenzo] is a whore!" replied Edwards to howls of laughter. "Don’t get me wrong, I've never seen him with a woman. Ben [Spies]… I've never seen with a woman, in my life. 

"I know Cal [Crutchlow] has Lucy. She's cute…. I'd do her!" added Edwards, before quickly adding: "I have a wife and three kids - I can’t say that!"

The whole entertaining interview was posted on YouTube - and unfortunately for Edwards, Alyssia was one of the many people to watch it!

"Yeah, she didn't like that too much," admitted Edwards, during a media teleconference arranged by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"I had to basically explain the fact that: 'Honey, I'm a comedian. I was just looking for a laugh, if you know what I'm saying. I had no aspirations to do anything I was saying. It was just cracking a joke'.

"She knows I'm a ding-dong sometimes and say stupid sh*t. She knows me."

Edwards at least redeemed himself by taking a shock podium finish on race day at Silverstone, just over a week after breaking his collarbone in Barcelona.

"After I crashed at Barcelona, I changed all my tickets, and I was coming home," explained Edwards. "And then when I called her the next day after surgery, I was like: 'Well, changed them flights back. I'm staying. I'm racing [at Silverstone].'

"I think she looks at me a little bit different now, honestly, even around the house. I think she thinks she married a real man instead of some kid from high school."

Edwards is one of five MotoGP riders to have undergone surgery already this season. So what it is about motorcycle racers that enables them able to overcome such injuries so quickly?

"I have a great answer to that question. The reality of it is that we're gladiators," said the Texan.

"In the great motorcycle movie, 'On Any Sunday', you've got guys crashing and breaking their backs and arms and soaking the casts off in the bathtub, so they can go race the next week. Just crazy stuff.

"That's just the way we're wired. I don't know how else to put it. We're gladiators. We want to go and get into the arena. We're always there. We always want to do that."

Edwards will be back in MotoGP action during the Dutch TT on June 25.