Tech3 Yamaha's Colin Edwards has gone back to the future at this weekend's Sepang MotoGP round by returning to a front-end setup that worked for him right at the start of the year.
Edwards set fastest time in today's free practice sessions and puts it all down to running the same settings he had at the season's opening rounds, which means the former World Superbike Champion can now push hard on the front tyre, which is the way he likes it. 
“It feels really good to be back at the front because the last few races have been tough. We have gone back to a front-end setting that I started the year on and it has transformed the bike and I’ve got my confidence back," said the Texan.

"We made a change at the Le Mans test with the offset and I started to have the best results of my career on tracks where I’d struggled before. I was fifth in Mugello and Catalunya, fourth in Donington and then I got on the podium in Assen, so I thought it was definitely the direction to go.

"I thought we’d stumbled on the magic setting, but since then I’ve struggled with the front-end. I have not been able to carry the corner speed I’d like and I’ve been running wide a lot. But now I’ve changed the front back to what I’ve known for most of my Yamaha career, it feels fantastic.

"Now the bike isn’t pushing off line at maximum lean angle and the riding just feels natural. Before it felt like I had to really force the front down in the corner to get the bike steering. Now I know exactly what the front tyre is doing and for me that is crucial because my style means I rely on front-end feel so much.

"I’m running out of time to learn things at this stage of my career, but I’ve learned that I need to stick with what I know works. Michelin have got some good tyres here and my race pace is really consistent. Even when the grip was dropping off a bit I was still able to run the lap times. There were a few drops of rain around but I felt confident to push, and its been a long time since I’ve felt like that.”