I come from a family with a very strong history in being runners-up.
A couple of generation’s of school reports include words like “diligent”, “consistent” and even “above average” but never “champion” or “outstanding”.
Our family heirlooms include a series of runners-up trophies in everything from tennis, to golf, to football.
Which is why I totally dig a guy like Colin Edwards.
He might not be up there with the Rossi’s (though not this season), Stoner’s and Lorenzo’s of the world but if there’s someone MotoGP needs right now, it’s people like him.
Not just because he’s funny, irreverent and a character, but because he proves that you can make a career in this business without appearing among the “best of” statistics all the time with multiple championship wins under your belt.
I don’t want to suggest he’s not a champion in his own right, but he really proves that there are other qualities that make a rider.
Edwards is expected to make an announcement this weekend at the Misano MotoGP round on his future, but he’s got plenty of options and some tantalising prospects, among which are remaining with the Yamaha Tech3 team because of his development skills, or again for those skills to move to one of the new CRT teams (rumoured connections with NGM Forward Racing here).
Original rumours that Edwards was going out to pasture in World Superbikes seem to have abated and he’s stated he wants to stay where he is.
More after the jump.
MotoGP should be very happy that Edwards has decided to stay here and not move to the WSBK, even though he proved at Indianapolis that despite all the talk of his “development skills” he knows how to race a bike and came in 7th on a weekend where other, more lauded riders had some serious difficulties.
After the race he said:I thought I got a fantastic start but the problem is the Yamaha is lacking a bit of grunt….
But I was top non-factory rider, I got another top ten and I moved up another place in the Championship, so it wasn’t a bad afternoon’s work.
We go to Misano now and see if we can fight for the top six.
After those kinds of comments the idea that Colin Edwards will be sticking around in MotoGP and even perhaps developing new 1000cc CRT bikes with prototype chassis and production engines (like the R1 move discussed with A&R) is a very exciting prospect.
Here’s hoping for an announcement at Misano this weekend.