Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Toseland regrets Edwards fall-out

By Julian Shea

Edwards (left) and Toseland (right) were previously good friends
Edwards (left) and Toseland (right) were previously good friends

James Toseland says he regrets the row which has split his team ahead of the 2009 MotoGP season, but swapping crews with Colin Edwards was the right move.

Team-mate Edwards refuses to talk to the Briton after Tech 3 team bosses switched their pit crews in the winter.

"It didn't have to happen like this and I can imagine why he feels the way he does," Toseland told BBC Sport.

"We just need to sit in a room and talk about the situation, but he's got a wall in the garage like he wanted."

Two-time World Superbike champion Toseland, 28, said the crew switch was sparked by his difficult first season in bike racing's elite class.

"I had a communication problem with the engineer and thought another year of that and I could find myself without a GP ride," he said.

"I've no problem with his ability as an engineer - it was about communication."

Last season, Toseland worked with Frenchman Guy Coulon, while Edwards' crew chief was Garry Reinders.

As early as the third race weekend, he spoke to team chief Herve Poncharal of his concerns, and he said they failed to go away as the campaign went on.

"He didn't speak English that well and with my Yorkshire slang, I think that made things difficult too," said Toseland.

"I needed someone experienced who understood me to help me get where I wanted and to punch my weight.

Toseland reiterated his concerns to Poncharal, who suggested if Reinders was willing to discuss it with Edwards, a swap was a possibility.

"The only problem was that there was no communication going back to Colin, so all of a sudden he's told by Garry.

"In all the press you can see how it looks - we're not talking to each other.

"In the team, I can't say 'I want that to change' - that's what it's looked like to people reading it.

"I've got a slating off a lot of people and I've taken it all on the chin. It's a playground stuff now and it didn't need to get to this."

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