Colin Edwards: ‘Aprilia gives us hope’

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Colin Edwards says the performance of Aprilia’s new CRT MotoGP machine gives other new 1000cc projects hope for the future as he attempts to make the new Suter-BMW package more competitive in 2012.

Randy de Puniet has been comfortably the quickest CRT rider throughout winter testing on the new Aprilia ART machine and he was 13th quickest at last weekend’s final pre-season outing in Jerez.

That put the Frenchman over a second faster than the next best CRT machine - Aspar team-mate Aleix Espargaro - and he was only 0.6s off the top 10 in Spain and less than a 0.1s behind the prototype Ducati ridden by Karel Abraham.

Experienced Texan Edwards was 3.2s away from Casey Stoner’s best speed in Jerez and 1.4s behind de Puniet on the Forward Racing Suter-BMW.

Edwards has spent the majority of winter testing trying to improve the Bosch electronics on the new machine, while also concentrating on reducing chatter with the new soft construction Bridgestone tyres.

But he said de Puniet’s performances showed that once the new CRT projects were developed to the same level as the Aprilia, it was possible to run close to the factory prototypes.

Aprilia’s ART machine is heavily based on its factory RSV4 World Superbike machine and Edwards told MCN: “At the moment we are not on the same level as de Puniet. Aprilia have obviously got a lot of information and there might be a gap but that’s always something to strive for.

"Matching that bike right now is going to be difficult. Our bike is more of an animal than Randy’s. We have to play a lot with electronics and gearing which we learned in Jerez. We were way too short on the gearing last weekend but we need to play with the chassis and understand why we have chatter in places and why our bike feels so stiff.

"The Apriia looks like a friendly bike. Randy can get on the throttle so early and motor out of the corner and we are not quite there yet. Fair play to de Puniet because he was lapping at 41 consistently and with the way my bike was geared you could do it for one lap but not 20.

"You’d have to hold your breath and pull your brain out, so we need to get it a bit more chilled. But it is awesome to see him up there and close behind machines that have had millions and millions of budget spent on them.

"That’s the formula Carmelo (Ezpeleta – MotoGP boss) intended and his vision would be that we’d be on the fringes of the prototypes. We’ve got to get our bike working to that level as soon as we can.”

Aprilia’s ART project has been the subject on intense debate in the winter, with many believing it is should be classed as a full-blown prototype rather than a CRT.

CRT rules mean the Aprilia machine can use 12 engines and benefit from 24 litres of fuel, while the prototypes entered by Honda, Ducati and Yamaha are restricted to six engines and 21 litres.

Honda, Yamaha and Ducati have questioned whether the Aprilia is in the true spirit of CRT, but Edwards refused to be drawn into the discussion and he added: “Whatever the rules are or whatever Aprilia has done, they have done a fantastic job and I’m not going to take that away from them. I’m not stressed about that.”

See the April 4 issue of Motor Cycle News for a special 16-page preview on the 2012 MotoGP world championship, featuring exclusive interviews with Cal Crutchlow and reigning world champion Casey Stoner.

source: MCN

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Colin Edwards: “We’ve got 18 tests ahead”

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American Colin Edwards reckons each race during the 2012 MotoGP campaign will be like an extension of winter testing as he tries to make the Suter-BMW CRT project a competitive package in the new 1000cc category.

The experienced Texan is preparing for his 10th season in the premier class fully aware that he faces a massive task just to get close to scoring points after a baptism of fire on the Forward Racing machine that features a tuned BMW S1000R motor and a prototype chassis designed and manufactured by Swiss specialists SRT.

At the second Sepang test in Malaysia earlier this month, the former Tech 3 Yamaha rider finished 3.2s behind Repsol Honda rider Casey Stoner’s best pace on Honda’s factory RC213V.

And the double World Superbike champion told MCN: “I think we are going to have 18 tests and that’s being honest. It wasn’t anything that different at Yamaha because you were testing parts and settings.

"It doesn’t matter what happens come Sunday because you go out and ride the crap out of what you have got. But it is obvious we are going to be working our asses off for 18 weekends that’s for sure.”

Edwards says the gap between his Suter-BMW machine and the factory prototypes has not dented his faith that he can make the project a success this season.

He added: “I knew it wasn’t going to be easy and I took it on as a challenge and I look forward to it. As long as things continue to develop and things get better then my motivation will remain. We are all still motivated and we are seeing some improvements but Rome wasn’t built in a day and that’s a fact. We’ve got some work to do.”

Edwards will be back on track for the final test session in Jerez this weekend and he is taking part in Forward Racing’s team launch later today (Tuesday).

source: MCN

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pictures: NGM Forward Racing 2012 Livery with Coling Edwards

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source: crash.net

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Colin Edwards 2012 CRT MotoGP livery revealed

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The NGM Forward Racing team unveiled its racing colours for its 2012 MotoGP debut season at Jerez on Tuesday (more pics below). 

The team is one of several new entries taking advantage of the 'CRT' rules to step up from Moto2 to MotoGP. 

Forward Racing has signed popular Texan Colin Edwards to ride its Suter-BMW. 

Edwards, with two WSBK titles and twelve MotoGP podiums to his credit, is the most highly decorated of the nine CRT riders, but is expected to face tough competition for top CRT honours from Aspar Aprilia's Randy de Puniet. 

"I would like to apologize for being late," said Edwards. "Apparently there is an even bigger tornado than me in Texas that delayed my flight! 

"Jokes aside, I am very happy to be here today and to be part of this new adventure with the team. We have started off working a lot on the development of the bike and especially on the electronics. 

"At the first test we were at about 60% of the development of the bike and now we are at about 92%-93%. Our objective is to keep working and get good results.” 

Team owner Giovanni Cuzari believes the new CRT class will become as successful as Moto2. 

"In 2010 I immediately believed in the new Moto2 category," he said. "I realized the great possibilities that the new rules offered in terms of providing exciting races. In my opinion it was a great idea on Dorna's part and hence Carmelo's. 

"Today I think we can say that the Moto2 races are spectacular: the grid is full - maybe a little too much! - and the show is always guaranteed. So, today we're here to officially present our entry into MotoGP 'taking one more step forward'. 

"I think CRT will, with time, have the same success that Moto2 experienced. Of course, like all rookies at the beginning we will suffer a bit, but time will prove us right and hopefully bring many satisfactions with the CRT." 

Forward Racing will also continue in Moto2 this season, running Suter machinery for Alex de Angelis and Yuki Takahashi, also present at the launch. 

"For the past year and a half I have been riding a different bike and now I have to adapt my riding style to my Suter bike, but I believe that we can work really well together," said de Angelis. "I look 'Forward' to this season.” 

Fellow former MotoGP rider and Moto2 race winner Takahashi added: 

"I am happy to be here, the bike is good, the team is good and we can make many things together this season," he said. "We have had a busy pre-season where we have tried many different things to find a good setting. I hope to have a good start to the season and keep up the good work of the team.” 

The final Moto2/Moto3 pre-season test concludes at Jerez on Wednesday evening, with the MotoGP class taking over from Friday to Sunday. 

source: Crash.net

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Edwards confirms himself as best CRT rider at Sepang

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Three weeks after the first Official Test at the Sepang International Circuit, Colin Edwards and NGM Mobile Forward Racing returned to confirm themselves as the best CRT team in Malaysia.

The weather conditions during the three days of testing were not as favorable as the first test at the beginning of February. However it was still an important test for the American rider in order to find continuity on the Suter-BMW as he completed a total of 78 laps with a final lap time of 2’03.681.

The work once more revolved around the electronics of the bike as well as on the development of the new Suter chassis. The chassis development has been a clear step forward, allowing Edwards to improve his best time at the first test by over a second.

Colin Edwards (2’03.681):

"To be honest, it was frustrating for two days and finally on the last day, we were working with the throttle connection and we found something. In that respect, it was a good test. In terms of the electronics I don’t think we will reach the final stage of development of the electronics until the last race in Valencia: we are going to be working on them the whole time. But as they say: "Rome wasn’t built in one day". It’s not a very quick process but at each test we keep improving, so that’s the key. We arrived with a new chassis and also a new spec engine. So from the first test to the second test to the third test, we’ve had basically had a new bike each time. This time we got what we would consider the 2012 spec. Yes, we do have a little bit of chatter but it’s much better than what it was and I believe we know how to fix it. For the next test in Jerez, I don’t have a main focus other than to make the entire package better. We need to come up with solutions quickly and efficiently and for that we need accurate information from our data…. we can’t afford right now to get off base".

Sergio Verbena – Technical Manger:

"We focused on the electronics and chassis. We tested the chassis with varying degrees of stiffness in order to solve the chatter problem and made some improvement in this area, but we have some more work ahead of us. In terms of the electronics we made significant progress in some areas (engine braking and traction control), but we still have a lot of work to do with exiting the corners, although we made a modification that allowed Colin to be 1.5 seconds faster. We are now at 3.2 seconds from Stoner, it’s not bad at all only after days of testing a circuit as long as Sepang!"

source: MotoGP Official

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Bosch talks CRT MotoGP electronics

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NGM Forward Racing's Colin Edwards described electronics as the most important area of development after his debut on the new Suter-BMW CRT MotoGP bike at Jerez last November. 

New to MotoGP, a class where there are few limits on electronic controls, Bosch faces a huge task in trying to catch-up with the likes of the established Magneti Marelli systems, which Edwards used as a Yamaha rider for the past seven years. 

But during the team's second test, alongside the twelve manufacturer bikes earlier this month at Sepang, Edwards was able to close the gap to the top from 6.5sec to 5.1sec over the three days. 

After the test Edwards, 3.5sec faster than the next best CRT rider present, said chatter had now replaced electronics as the team's biggest hurdle. 

“At our first roll-out test in December at Jerez, we had some electronic issues that they solved and now I was really comfortable with how they smoothened out the power band,” said Edwards. 

“What we are struggling with are the new Bridgestone tyres... At Jerez, we didn't have a chatter problem. But now, I have the worst chatter I have ever had in my life. Without that, I could go 1.5 seconds faster.” 

A further 1.5sec would have put Edwards within one-second of the slowest of the manufacturer riders, ridden by Cardion AB's Karel Abraham. 

Crash.net spoke to Ralf Schnee, head of the Bosch project, and development rider Michael Spahr about the company's MotoGP electronics. The first question was simple, where did they start? 

“We have a lot of experience in automotive motorsports and the engine electronics work the same for motorcycles in terms of ignition, injection and some cylinder cut-off functions etc,” explained Schnee. 

“I would say maybe 70-80% of the electronic functions are identical to car sport. The big difference for motorcycles is the riding dynamics. That is where we need special functions for motorbikes. 

“But we had a good base to start from with our automotive race experience and so we began with a system that could be modified for use on racing cars and bikes. This ECU is actually also used in DTM this year, where Bosch is the single supplier for the championship. 

“I've developed the system over the last two years and have a lot of experience with it. For the bikes, we have been working on it using a Honda Superbike at the factory, plus Michael our test rider. Then nearly a year ago we got the first call from Suter about MotoGP. 

“As I've said, with motorcycles the big difference is the dynamic functions, especially the lean angle. If you have a lean angle on a car you have a problem!” 

Spahr, a former German Supersport champion, added: “Also for the bikes you need some wheel-spin to steer, so the traction control works completely differently to the cars. This type of software is unique for the motorbike.” 

“This is our second development step with the electronics,” continued Schnee. “The first step was at Jerez in November and now we have new software to improve the dynamics. 

“A lot of what we are doing is calibrating the system to the rider's liking. Colin has given us very good feedback and we have developed the functions more and more. You can see that in the lap times also.” 

The Bosch team will be seeking further lap time improvements during the second of the three official MotoGP pre-season tests, which starts at Sepang on February 28. 

source: crash.net

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Edwards to lead NGM Forward Racing MotoGP effort in 2012

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Edwards, currently riding for Monster Yamaha Tech 3 in the premier class, was joined in the presentation by Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta, Forward Racing CEO Giovanni Cuzari and CEO of NGM Italia, Stefano Nesi, one of the main sponsors for the Forward Racing team.

Edwards, widely recognised as an important development rider, said "I've always been a good test rider and I'm happy that this will be my next challenge."

Though Cuzari said there was no official confirmation of the technical set up of the bike, Edwards revealed to the press that he was hoping for a Yamaha R1 engine with a chassis built by Tech 3, saying in response to probing questions: "We will be riding a Yamaha engine. As far as a chassis, Hervé (Poncharal, his current Tech 3 Team Manager) you want to answer this?" before revealing that they were in negotiations with Poncharal and Guy Coulon, his current crew chief and designer of Tech 3's Moto2 chassis.

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