Tech 3 pair boosted by new engine

Colin Edwards and James Toseland have struggled with a lack of straightline speed in the opening races of the 2008 season, but are much more confident about their chances having received the same engine as the factory Yamahas for Estoril.

After qualifying fifth, Edwards said the extra power had allowed him to adjust his tyre strategy.

"Now we've got the new engine too I can't wait for the race," he said. "I've gone for a bit of a different tactic with Michelin this weekend for the new motor and thanks to them, because it is working.

"I've gone for outright traction more than momentum to carry lots of corner speed. I'm not so worried about being the fastest guy mid-corner now because it was no good when somebody in front of me was acting like a roadblock.

"Now I've concentrated on corner entry, getting the bike turned and getting the power to the ground on the exit to use that extra performance from the motor. I'm still doing better lap times with that tyre so it is obviously working."

Toseland took sixth, and agreed that the increased power will allow them to race more competitively.

"It is a big improvement and if I had the old engine here, coming off the last corner would have been difficult," he said.

"It wouldn't have mattered how hard I worked on the rest of the lap, I'd have been passed on the straight. But coming out now in third gear I can feel how much power the new engine has got."