Colin Edwards

Like many kids, Colin Edwards got his start in the dirt, taking those first tentative rides at  just three years old. A year later, he began racing motocross—locally at first, of course, but as he gained experience and speed, his father (Colin Edwards, Sr.) let him compete farther from their Texas home.

   By the time he was 14, though, Colin decided it was time for a break and he stepped away from racing. The break didn’t last long and three years later, Edwards was back at the track. This time, however, it was the road race track. Practically from the start, he proved himself a winner and he turned pro the following year. There, too, the wins followed and Edwards claimed the AMA 250cc GP championship in his first try.

   That, however, was his last season aboard two-strokes; the next season (1993) his sponsor put him on a Superbike and he showed promise with a sixth and fifth in two seasons in the AMA Superbike championship.

    What followed, logically, was the world stage with Yamaha’s factory Superbike effort where he notched a best year-end result of sixth in his second of three seasons there.

   Edwards then negotiated for a seat on Honda’s world Superbike squad in 1998 where he enjoyed the most success due in part to increased familiarity with the competition and tracks. He claimed his first-ever triumph in that first season and would win two championships over the course of the next five years with 31 individual race victories.

   MotoGP followed and from 2003 to when he retired in 2014, Edwards had seats on several teams, though a win in the pinnacle of motorcycle racing eluded him.

   After retiring from full-time racing, Yamaha employed Edwards as a test rider for a couple years. Closer to home, he started his Texas Tornado Boot Camp where he runs dirt bike training courses on small bikes aimed at helping riders learn what it feels like at the limits of traction, a skill that pays big dividends on regular size motorcycles whether on dirt or asphalt. His camps are famous for their non-riding activities as well as typical Texas hospitality and fun that Edwards and his crew insist on.