To accompany today’s riders quotes, we’ve got a batch of pics from today’s MotoGP test in Sepang, some official and some from Motoblog who has its own blogger who’s reporting directly from Malaysia.

Valentino Rossi - 1st 2′01″411 Laps: 54

“Today was very important because this year we have just six days of testing in which to set the bike, so we can not waste any time. This first day was very positive, we tried the new bike for 2010, with a different chassis and a new engine, which can do more kilometres, and it is quite fast. Yamaha has worked very well over the winter. Now we need to spend time on setting some electronics and other things. This is only the start but it seems we’re already in good shape.”

Casey Stoner - 2nd 2′01″902 Laps: 42 laps

“This first day was a bit difficult to understand: we started off with a setting that was quite good and that allowed us to make reasonably good lap times. We thought we would improve as the day went on but we had a few problems with chatter. We tried a lot of different combinations trying to make the bike feel a little bit better but we couldn’t really get an improvement. To be honest it was difficult to work out why because the track conditions were particularly difficult — it was so hot that it was actually hard to understand if you were make an improvement on the bike or not. In any case I’m really happy with the new engine, I think that with the other one we would have struggled more. Now the bike in general feel very good, very balanced and I’m happy with it. Hopefully the weather will be a little cooler tomorrow so that we can understand better if the changes we try are the right ones”.

Continue reading: MotoGP Sepang Test Thursday: Pics and Rider Quotes

The MotoGP riders are finally on track, shaking off the winter blues and back in action in a hot -32°C and humid - 60% Sepang, and fortunately the weather forecasters were partially wrong, because it started to rain only in the final minutes of the test session.

Valentino Rossi was the fastest in today’s testing with Casey Stoner just under 0.5 sec behind the reigning World Champion and Colin Edwards, on his Tech 3 Yamaha, posting the third best time. They were the only three riders that were able to go under the 2′02 mark, but only earlier in the afternoon before the heat began to take its toll on the riders.

Lap Times at 3pm:

1 #46 Valentino Rossi 2′01″411
2 #27 Casey Stoner 2′01″902 +0″491
3 #5 Colin Edwards 2′01″932 +0″521
4 #65 Loris Capirossi 2′02″102 +0″691
5 #99 Jorge Lorenzo 2′02″596 +1.185
6 #4 Andrea Dovizioso 2′02″630 +1.219
7 #69 Nicky Hayden 2′02″792 +1.381
8 #36 Mika Kallio 2′03″078 +1.667
9 #26 Dani Pedrosa 2′03″176 +1.765
10 #11 Ben Spies 2′03″ 302 +1.891
11 #41 Aleix Espargaro 2′03″412 +2.001
12 #19 Alvaro Bautista 2′03″558 +2.147
13 #58 Marco Simoncelli 2′03″563 +2.152
14 #33 Marco Melandri 2′03″609 +2.198
15 #7 Hiroshi Aoyama 2′03″651 +2.240
16 #40 Hector Barbera 2′03″657 +2.242
17 #14 Randy De Puniet 2′03″722 +2.311
18 #100 Yamaha T 2′05″732 +4.321
19 #101 Yamaha O 2′06″206 +4.795

Continue reading: MotoGP Sepang Test: Thursday -Riders in Action - Rossi Leads

The MotoGP paddock will see another new addition this season, after Andrea Dovizioso’s firstborn, the Edwards family welcomed the arrival of their third child on Friday, January 8th, at 11:30 am.

The newest member of the Texas Tornado’s brood, a little girl named Olivia Reese Edwards weighed in at 2,7 kg.

Our belated congratulations to Colin and Alyssia.

Source | cyclenews

Continue reading: Colin Edwards becomes a dad for the third time

The new year kicks off with a nice Arai 2010 range, including these RX-7 GP Edwards and RX-7 GP Haga Phillip Island models. The RX-7 GP is both an ECE 22-05 and a Snell M2010 approved helmet with top-of-the-range technology. It’s the first Arai helmet to have an external shell made with Peripherally Belted SNC (PB SNC) tech which means that the top layer of the shell has another protective coating for further strength.

The RX-7 GP also has Air Wing adjustable function in five different positions, which stabilises the helmet, reducing turbulance that can result from track use. It has greater air intakes but reduced noise, and the visor is wider by 5 mm on both sides for better peripheral vision. The cheek padding can be removed.

The RX-7 GP Edwards replica has new red and black twin tone colour in a vortex-style graphic. It’s available in sizes from XS to XXL and costs about 910 euros. The Noriyuki Haga replica helmet is ready to celebrate Haga’s first Superbike win at Phillip Island. It is based on the previous version, but the new replica has an inversed chrome look with black flames on red background. It’s available in sizing from XS to XXL and also costs about 910 euros. For more information on Arai products, see the official Arai site.

Continue reading: 2010 Arai range: RX-7 GP Edwards and Haga Phillip Island replicas

This guy must have seen Terminator Salvation too many times or has too much time on his hands or this may be just the perfect Christmas gift for gun totin’ Colin Edwards.

Continue reading: Motorcycle Rocket Launchers

The Spies story if finally over. After a couple of weeks of speculation regarding in which Championship series Ben Spies would be really racing for in 2010. Yamaha has officially announced today that Ben Spies will be moving to MotoGP in 2010 and will be joining the Tech 3 Yamaha Team alongside Colin Edwards who has renewed with Tech 3 for another year.

Ben Spies:

“I want to thank Yamaha globally for their faith in me. They have treated me like royalty! Yamaha just recently allowed me to rethink my contract for 2010-2011; I did sign for WSB for 2010 but after Indy I began thinking of the competition and my age versus waiting until 2011. This was not an easy decision, the Yamaha World Superbike Team crew and especially Massimo (Maio) Meregalli have been fantastic and it’s been great fun to put in a season together. I am hoping that I can give Maio, Laurens Klein Koerkamp and everyone else a championship to remember this year with me. My thanks also extend to ‘Infront’, the promoter of the WSB series, especially Paolo Ciabatti. I have enjoyed his series and this first year racing in Europe. Now I have two challenges, to complete this year giving my best and to move towards new goals in MotoGP. Herve Poncharal at Tech 3 is showing his support by allowing me to come on board with my Crew Chief Tom Houseworth and Gregory Wood, my mechanic, who have both been with me since AMA days. We will have learning curves to overcome next year but I am up for the new goal. I hope to have a good year and my goal is to try and stay in the top 6-8 which, given the talented line up, will be a tall order. With the world upside down, there is one constant for me and that’s Yamaha.”

Continue reading: As if We didn't Know It: Ben Spies to MotoGP in 2010

Shhh, don’t tell the Dorna watchdogs, but Asphalt & Rubber have found another video of Alex DeAngelis taking out Colin Edwards and Nicky Hayden at Misano. It’s from an another angle and you get a closer look see at Nicky Hayden losing his cool.

Jorge Lorenzo, who almost got clipped from behind, got into the blame game against DeAngelis, also citing the Sammarinese as one of those rider’s that have the habit of cruising around the outer track during qualifying, ready to hitch a tow from one of the Fantastic Four:

“I am very angry. In the past I was like that, sometimes I did some crazy things. But when the organisers gave me some ‘advice’, I was more clever. I think now they have to do something with these riders, who are also the same ones who try to follow faster riders on Saturday during qualifying. It is very dangerous and I hope they do something,”

Continue reading: Another Video of De Angelis Wiping out Edwards and Hayden

Check out the video of Gresini Honda rider Alex DeAngelis binning his bike on the first corner of lap one at Misano taking out Colin Edwards and Nicky Hayden.

Both Americans were not happy and we hadn’t seen Nicky Hayden this upset since Dani Pedrosa crashed into him at Estoril in 2006. Hayden vented his anger on the Sammarinese rider had to be stopped by a marshal, while Edwards was quoted as saying when asked what had happened, said ‘I have no idea but it’ll be the usual thing, a dumb-ass Italian at the Italian GP.’

Here’s the usual PR statements when the riders were slightly calmer.

Colin Edwards:

“I thought I had the pace to easily be fourth and maybe fight with Pedrosa for a podium but we are in Italy and occasionally you have to deal with an Italian rider who wants to be a hero and today that was De Angelis. Turn one at the start with seventeen bikes is not the place to be going at race pace and he was never going to make through there. Today De Angelis is the guy who needed to be wearing Valentino’s donkey helmet. I didn’t know what happened until I was sliding through the gravel. Turn one is the most dangerous time to crash with so many bikes around you, it is unacceptable. I’ve been fighting with Dovizioso in the championship most of the season and now he has ten points on me with four races to go. That’s racing.”

Continue reading: MotoGP Misano - DeAngelis takes out Edwards and Hayden Video

You’ve got to admit that Yamaha Motors USA have an excellent PR department, because this video is along the line of Yamaha’s MotoGP A Day in the Office video, but this one is on all the strange rumors surrounding the new 2010 Yamaha YZ450F that will be officially unveiled on September 8th.

Watch this year’s FIM World Supercross Champion James Stewart squash all the rumors, with cameo appearances by Yamaha’s MotoGP riders Jorge Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi, Colin Edwards and James Toseland.

Source | yamahamotor

Continue reading: James Stewart and the Yamaha YZ450F

Colin Edwards at Camp Atterbury even got a chance to use a rocket launcher all in the name of promoting the Indianapolis Red Bull GP at the end of August.

Edwards talking to MCN has said that he would like to remain in MotoGP for a another season and with Herve Poncharal’s Yamaha Tech3 team but has yet to go into talks with the French manager.

Continue reading: Colin Edwards having fun with a rocket launcher

Never to shy away from his ideals and his support for the troops, Colin Edwards visited mobilizing soldiers preparing for overseas deployment at Camp Atterbury in Edinburgh, Indiana on Wednesday.

The Texas Tornado got the chance to try out weapons at the Engagement Skills Trainer (an indoor simulated firing range), which he must of loved considering his own vast collection of firearms. Participated in an armored car roll-over procedure, which must have felt safer than crashing with his Yamaha M1 and spent time eating and talking with some of the troops.

Edwards has been seen wearing a Marines cap during interviews at MotoGP races. When asked about it he replied:

“My heart goes out to these guys…here we’ve got guys who are giving their lives to fight for our freedom, and yet you still have people who are so against…I can understand being against the war, but at the end of the day, you still have to support the guys who are out there doing it. It doesn’t matter what your belief might be. At the end of the day, they just don’t get enough respect. That’s the only thing I can do.”

Edwards will be back next week for the Brno GP.

Photo by IMS

Continue reading: Camp Atterbury goes Oohrah for Colin Edwards

The MotoGP paddock and pre-race conferences would be much duller affairs without the colourful presence of someone like Colin Edwards, his legendary quips are always good for a laugh or two and always grab an applause from the journalists, taking the edge off all the seriousness that surrounds MotoGP.

The Indianapolis Speedway has put together a selection of Edward’s most colourful quotes from his exclusive interviews that were taken from the “Tornado Warning” column which can be found at thewww.redbullindianpoilisgp.com

If you by chance missed the Texas Tornado’s interview with Italian Riders Magazine, you can read it here.

“The guy has stopped impressing me a long time ago because he just seems to do it all the time. But what is it? I don’t know what it is. You could say he’s getting in the zone, but I think he’s maybe permanently stuck there.” – June 2008, about the brilliance of six-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi

Continue reading: Edwards, Edwards and More Edwards