COLIN EDWARDS ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AT COTA MOTOGP

It had to happen sometime; and sometime soon at that. Colin Edwards announced that this will be his last year of racing. He made the announcement at the pre-event conference without any preamble. He looked nervous, blurted out that he hadn't thought how to say this, then calmly and clearly announced that 2014 would be his last season as a motorcycle racer. He didn't get much further before a prolonged round of applause interrupted him.

Colin is forty now and has three kids, but this wasn't a move he'd been planning for long. He only made his mind up a month or so ago. What seems to have bought retirement on is the knowledge that his Forward Yamaha needs a certain riding style and the equally certain knowledge that he can't adapt any more.

Nine time world champion Valentino Rossi, when asked about Edwards' retirement, said, "Seriously I am very very sad about the news because Colin is one of my best friends in the paddock. We shared the bike together in the 8 hours in 2001 and in 2000 and I think this is also the best memory because we enjoy it a lot and also because we won, also."

"We were teammates for a long long time in the great moment of my career. These were great seasons for me with Yamaha. We always try to stay together in the box and work together and we enjoyed it a lot. Also, Colin always come in Tavullia with a motocross bike. Now at the ranch but also before where we trained before."


"I'm sad," Rossi said, "because he is a great guy and a great rider and we will miss him."

FAMILY COMES FIRST.