Q. What's happening here for Colin Edwards? Are you just testing tires or are there new parts for the new bike already?

A. We're testing a lot of new suspension parts. We've got a new front fork that we're testing; new fork internals, different tubes, damping, etc. The rear shock we're messing around with a little bit; we've kind of had an old faithful shock that we have run for ... years ... forever. We've had about three set ups that we have run for the last four years and we just can't seem to find the next step forward, but this new set up is awesome. I'm ready to say forget about the old stuff and get on with it.

Q. The 2002 RC51/SP2 shows great promise then?

A. It's awesome, to be honest. But where I'm struggling now is that the bike is so different, I've spent so much time on the old bike ... and there was a little bit of front feel with last year's bike ... now it's all different.

They've taken away the front feel a little bit. It is there, I just have to go so far past where the other one was to find anything. If you go as fast as you did on the other bike, it doesn't move. It doesn't budge, it's like you're riding a streetike. I just don't have a great deal of feel, until the tire has five or six laps on it, then it starts telling me to go faster, gives me some feel.

It's going to take more laps, more laps to get used to the bike then we'll be ready to roll.

There's a lot more traction with this bike from the rear. It's really hard to spin it. Okay-Michelin have done a lot of work and some tires they throw at you, you can spin up, but, generally, the race stuff that they have been giving us-they don't want to spin. It reminds me ... it's what I've seen these past two years out of the Ducati. I see the Ducati on track and it would wiggle, but it's clawing, clawing at the ground for traction.

Before you'd gas it and the Honda would spin; now you nail it and the bike hooks up and moves forward. It's awesome.

Q. Are you on the 2002 HRC engine yet? It's been a mixed bag up to this point. Some 2001 stuff, some eight hour stuff.

A. Here, were on full blown 2002 stuff.

Q. First time this year then, right?

A. Right.

Q. Things to note from the 2002 engine?

A. Biggest difference is that with the old engine we had a big hole from seven to eight thousand (rpm). And for some reasons we thought that was a good thing, because that's generally where you're at coming out of a corner. So, that sort of helped the traction. We messed around with some stuff-we had a big top end motor a few years ago-and it was worse. With the new engine we've essentially just gotten rid of the hole and now it pulls steady all the way through. And with our chassis change it is awesome. It just gets up and goes. This package is so much better-what I have been begging for the last two years. If we'd have had this package for the last two years, it would not have been funny.

Q. You do not have a teammate for 2002. Advantage or disadvantage?

A. I think it's an advantage to a certain degree but ... really ? I've been a one man team for the last two years. In 2000, Aaron (Slight) had his problem with his deal ? and then I had four different team-mates throughout the year, so that didn't help out much. Then, when Aaron came back, he wasn't quite right. So that year I was really on my own.

Then last year, Tady (Okada) helped me ONE TIME with a tire selection. Which, for having a teammate, that's not really enough. So I just look at it as I have been a one man team the last two years anyway. That's the way it is.

more later