Tech 3 Yamaha heads to Indianapolis GP

Edwards and Crutchlow ready for legendary Indianapolis challenge

Colin Edwards, Monster Yamaha Tech 3

Photo by: Tech 3

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team embarks on another American adventure this weekend, with Colin Edwards and Cal Crutchlow ready to tackle the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway circuit.

Edwards is looking forward to racing in front of his home fans for the second time in just over a month, the Indianapolis round coming hot on the heels of his recent eighth place finish in the US Grand Prix at the Laguna Seca track in California.

The Texan is particularly looking forward to checking out the infield section of the 2.620 miles circuit, which has been completely resurfaced in readiness for round 12 of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship.

The 37-year-old will arrive in Indianapolis confident he can consolidate his position inside the top 10 in the World Championship rankings while also strengthening his bid to finish leading non-factory rider this season. He is currently on an impressive run of six consecutive top 10 finishes to sit ninth in the rankings ahead of this Sunday's 28-lap race.

This weekend's race presents Crutchlow with another difficult but intriguing learning experience. The British rider has never seen the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which is steeped in motorsport history and world famous for hosting the Indy 500, but he's looking forward to getting to work with his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew after a positive test session at the Brno circuit recently.

Crutchlow made improvements to the front-end feeling of his Yamaha YZR-M1 machine and he is determined to end a frustrating run of results in Indianapolis to get his bid for the pres tigious Rookie of the Year crown back on track.

Colin Edwards

“Racing at home in America for the second time in a few weeks is awesome and I'm really looking forward to this weekend. The build-up to the Indianapolis race is always pretty special because you've got the mystique and the history of the place and I really like that part of it. The people at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway have done a fantastic job to make MotoGP a success and hopefully the fans will get to see an exciting show this weekend. The track isn't too technical or demanding but I'm looking forward to riding on the new pavement on the infield. We all know it was pretty bumpy in parts but they've taken our feedback on board and done something to improve it, which is brilliant. I'm on a consistent run of results at the moment and hopefully that will continue this we ekend. I'd like to be a further up the order and pushing inside the top six a little more, but the guys in front of me every week are all on factory bikes, so I think all of us inside the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team are giving the maximum to do the best job we can.”

Cal Crutchlow

"I am really looking forward to going to Indy because I've heard so much about what a fantastic facility the Motor Speedway is. But without any previous experience of riding there, I'm anticipating another difficult challenge. It is one I am relishing though because I'm determined to end this difficult period in the Championship. I haven't scored enough points in the last few races, so I'm looking forward to learning Indy but also getting a good result there too. The Yamaha is a good bike, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team is brilliant, and I believe in my own ability, so we've got to put a ll the ingredients together to deliver the performances we know we are capable of. The test after the Brno race was really beneficial because we could work on the bike a lot and I could focus on adapting my style a lot more. We've got some more ideas to help us in the future, so hopefully a good result this weekend will help set me up for a strong finish to the season.”