Crutchlow and Edwards confident for Silverstone showdown After a weekend of contrasting fortunes in Catalunya recently, Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team riders Cal Crutchlow and Colin Edwards have quickly turned their attention to this weekend’s British Grand Prix at the legendary Silverstone circuit. The Silverstone race is the all-important home round for rookie Crutchlow, who is enjoying a fantastic debut season in the 2011 MotoGP World Championship. The 25-year-old is eagerly anticipating his first appearance in the British Grand Prix and he arrives on home shores full of confidence after an outstanding performance in last weekend’s Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya. He claimed a superb seventh place to score his best ever Mo toGP result, and he’s now targeting a challenge for his first top six finish on Sunday. Crutchlow’s all-action style is perfectly suited to the long and super-fast Silverstone track and he enjoyed one of the highlights of his career last season when he romped to a stunning double win in the World Superbike round. Edwards will make a welcome return to action after a right collarbone injury forced the popular American to miss last Sunday’s Catalunya race. His absence ended his proud record of competing in 141 successive races, but Edwards is determined to bounce back in style this weekend and fight for a points finish. Edwards has completely rested during the last days to aid the recovery process and his shoulder is already quickly gaining strength following the three-hour operation to insert a titanium plate and 13 screws at the USP Institut Universitari Dexeus of Barcelona last Saturday morning. Cal Crutchlow, 10th – 30 points: “I can’t wait for my home race in Silverstone. Ever since I knew I was joining the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team, I have been thinking about the British Grand Prix. The race couldn’t be coming at a better time after I scored the best result of my MotoGP career only a few days ago in Catalunya. That gave the whole Team a big lift and we can go into this weekend with a top six as a realistic goal. Although it is my home race, I actually don’t have any extra experience of the track than the other guys. I’ve only raced at the current track once, just like the rest. Silverstone has always been a good track for me and obviously last year’s double win in the World Superbike race was one of the highlights of my career. I know I can be fast on this track and we saw last year with Jorge Lorenzo’s win that the Yamaha is a good package there. All I ca n do is assure the British fans that I will be giving it my absolute maximum to get the best result I can. The British fans have always been good to me and I know I can count on their support this weekend. I’m also glad Colin will be back this weekend. He’s been an unbelievable help to me this year and racing without him just isn’t the same.” Colin Edwards, 13th – 21 points: “I’m already feeling much better after a couple of days rest and I’m now looking forward to being back on the bike and being with my guys in the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. Obviously I am not going to be 100 per cent fit but the shoulder felt really strong immediately after the operation in Barcelona, so with a bit more time to recover, it has improved even more. I want to thank Dr Xavier Mir again because he did a fantastic job repairing the collarbone and without him, I’d have probably not been riding in Silverstone. It is not going to be an easy weekend but I will go out there and try my best to do a good job. It would be brilliant to get some points but I just want to concentrate on having a trouble free weekend because then I have a couple of weeks to let the bone heal further and be back to full strength by Assen. Part of me is still a little bit disappointed that I didn’t get to ride in Catalunya, but I guess I’ll finally get to start my 142nd MotoGP race, even if it is going to be one week later than planned! I’ve had great support in Britain going back to my World Superbike days and it is almost like a second home for me. I’m going to try and keep the weekend as relaxed as possible and enjoy myself. I’ve got lots of friends in the UK too, so I’m looking forward to catching up with them.” Information Silverstone: With more t han 60 years of history Silverstone has become one of the most prestigious venues dedicated to motorsport. Completely revamped in recent years, a multimillion pound investment saw the completion in 2010 of a first phase of works to greatly improve the venue, making it one of the fastest tracks on the MotoGP calendar and earning high praise from the World Championship riders who enjoyed the new layout. The ‘Silverstone Wing’, a state-of-the-art, multi-million pound new Pit and Paddock Complex, will welcome MotoGP in 2011, thus adding to already breathtaking facilities at Silverstone. Circuit Info: Length: 5.902 m. / 3,667 miles Width: 17m Left corners: 8 Right corners: 10 Longest straight: 800 m. / 0,497 miles Constructed: 1948 Modified: 2010 Circuit Records: Fastest Lap: 2010 Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) – Yamaha – 2’03.308 Circuit Record: 2010 Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) – Yamaha – 2’03.526 Best Pole: 2010 Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) – Yamaha – 2’03.308 Top Speed: 2010 Dani Pedrosa (SPA) – Honda – 323.9 km/h