Tech 3 ready for Aragon GP

Magnificent Motorland Aragon awaits Edwards and Crutchlow

Colin Edwards, Monster Yamaha Tech 3

Photo by: Tech 3

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team makes its third visit of the season to Spain this weekend for the 14th round of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship at the magnificent Motorland Aragon circuit.

Sunday's race will provide another milestone in the distinguished career of Colin Edwards, who is poised to make his 150th MotoGP start. The 37-year-old has been one of the most consistent performers in the Championship since he arrived in the paddock back in 2003 and this season has been no exception, the popular American chasing an 11th consecutive point-scoring finish of the season this weekend.

Edwards currently sits ninth in the overall standings on 87-points and he is hoping for a strong result this weekend to bounce back quickly from a difficult race at Misano. Edwards was battling for a place inside the top seven before he was struck by a severe arm pump problem. Edwards has been able to rest and recover for more than a week at his Texas home and he's confident the issue won't be a problem at the Motorland Aragon. British rider Cal Crutchlow heads into the weekend with his confidence boosted by a hard fought 10th place in Misano. Crutchlow has worked tremendously hard in the last races to find a more confident front-end set-up with his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine and he is looking forward to continuing that progress this weekend.

The Motorland Aragon track throws up another new challenge for Crutchlow, who has never raced on the technical 3.155 miles layout before. The 2009 World Supersport champion though has demonstrated his ability to quickly learn new tracks in his rookie campaign and he's targeting another top 1 0 assault in Sunday's 23-lap race.

The Motorland Aragon first appeared on the MotoGP schedule last season as a replacement for the Balatonring in Hungary. The circuit was universally praised by riders and its state-of-the-art facilities helped it secure the coveted IRTA Grand Prix of the Year accolade. The circuit is now a permanent fixture on the calendar and is the last race before the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team embarks on flyaway trips to Japan, Australia and Malaysia.

Colin Edwards

I can't believe I'm going to be making my 150th MotoGP appearance this weekend. It feels like only yesterday since I moved from World Superbikes but I've had an awesome time in MotoGP and long may it continue. Although it is a landmark race in my MotoGP career I'll just try and treat it like every other race and do the b est possible job I can for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. The Aragon track has a really cool layout and I can't wait to get back there, even though my result wasn't the best last season. And I'm definitely keen to bounce back from Misano, which didn't end how I expected at all. I had a great weekend up until the race but the arm pump was the worst I've ever had. I've had a few days to rest and relax at home so I'm sure I'm going to be 100 per cent this weekend.

Cal Crutchlow

I'm raring to start this weekend having spent a few days with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team in France. It has been great spending some quality time with the crew while also training hard after a couple of really physically demanding races in Indianapolis and Misano. We've managed to pick up a couple of respectable results recently to restore my con fidence, but as a rider you always want more, so the goal this weekend will be to qualify and finish the race inside the top 10. Aragon is another track I've only ever seen on TV and I can't wait to ride it. It looks like a lot of fun with some undulation and some fast, sweeping corners. I think it might suit my style because it doesn't look like a circuit with a lot of strong braking points. It is never easy trying to learn a new track, but the confidence gained in the last couple of the races means we can start the weekend in a positive frame of mind.