Monster Yamaha Tech3 take good start at 2011 MotoGP season opener in Qatar – MotoGP news
Monster Yamaha Tech3 riders Colin Edwards and Cal Crutchlow had a great start at the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar at Losail circuit, being the season opener and the only floodlit run of the season.
Both riders were able to finish with some points at the end of the race, which can prove a great start for the Tech3 team for igniting the season.
Colin Edwards started the race from the 10th place on the grid, determined to get into the fight for the top six places, but with luck on other side, he ran into the turn two slightly off the line which cost him time and dropped him back
to the 10th place, following his teammate Cal Crutchlow.
Edwards struggled again and boosted up to the ninth place for running on the tail of his former teammate at Monster Yamaha Tech3, Ben Spies.
Edwards was closely in pursuit of his fellow countryman for the initial five laps of the race, after running with in the mid of 1:56 seconds time circle he was consistently fast.
He was running close on the rear end of the Mapfre Aspar Team ride Hector Barbera, until he moved ahead of him at eighth place. In his fight, he lost a big chunk of time which could have benefited him to overtake his compatriot. In failing to pressurise
Ben Spies, he still finished at eighth place.
“I got a good start and thought the only way I've got any chance of getting a top six is to take a few early risks. I'm never happy with eighth but we got some decent points and we can move on to Jerez with confidence,” he said.
Cal Crutchlow despite of having a damaged finger of his left hand had a great evening start at the season opener race, he was placed ahead of Valentino Rossi and Monster Yamaha Tech3 teammate Colin Edwards on the starting grid. He had that nasty accident
during the second night of the third and last pre- season test session held at same venue. Still he performed brilliant and fought for top-ten places for most of the laps.
The Brit was fighting for the ninth place, squad led by Nicky Hayden, Hiroshi Aoyama and Hector Barbera. Like prior in the race Barbers proved to be hard in overtaking, but Edwards swept eighth.
Crutchlow was left behind from Hayden and Aoyama in same Barbera fight, but later he was rewarded for his courageous performance with a damaged left little finger-tip when he crossed Barbera in the final lap to finish 11th as Tech3 debutant.
“I wanted to finish and get a race under my belt, so it was mission accomplished. The next couple of races will be tough because I don't know the circuits but I'll be doing my best for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 squad,” he said.
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