Edwards baffled at slow speed

American Colin Edwards was left scratching his head searching for answers after he qualified in a disastrous 16th place for today’s Italian GP in Mugello.

The Fiat Yamaha rider ended close to six seconds off the pace set by pole-setter and MotoGP series leader Casey Stoner at the end of a qualifying session badly disrupted by rain.

On a track partially dry and partially wet, Edwards could only muster a best time of 2.06.254 which left him languishing 5.895s adrift of Stoner and baffled at his dismal performance.

He told MCN: “I’m riding my balls off and nothing seems to be working. We are not really sure what’s happening. We looked on the computer and something looks a bit strange at the moment.

“I run a bit of a softer spring than Valentino (Rossi) but mid-corner my load is a lot less than his. We can’t really understand why, whether something is not correct or we got a sensor out of whack. But I know I’m riding my ass off.”

Edwards was bemused at his poor showing as he has a history of good form in the rain.

“I’ve always been good in the rain so this is really strange. If you’re a second off in the rain then that’s down to risk and stuff like that or you didn’t get this or that line right.

“Two seconds off and you are slacking a little bit. But six seconds is crazy. To be riding as hard as I am and be six seconds off the pace, something is not jiving at the moment to say the least.

“We are trying to understand if it’s been our problem all weekend or what’s happening. We don’t really know. It’s no secret that I never really had a good result here but to run around 15th and 16th that’s just not what I do.

“Hell, I won a BMW last year in the rain in Barcelona so I know I go good in the rain.”

Edwards said he is trying to get the same engine characteristics that his old 990cc M1 had when entering the corner in wet conditions.

“When we went from the 990 to the 800 one of my first comments was the engine felt tight. It didn’t have the free wheel affect that the big mass of the 990 created so we are trying to get back to that.

“When I go to tip into a corner it just feels like the rear is going to come round on me. When you got traction its not bad but when you don’t it just gets worse and worse.

And the 33-year-old added: “My style is quite a bit different to Valentino’s on corner entry, He holds the clutch for such a long time and I’ve never done that. It’s like teaching an old dog, new tricks,” said the double World Superbike champion.