It is with great pleasure that the Yamaha Tech 3 team wishes to announce the signing of two world champions to contest the 2008 MotoGP World Championship.

American rider Colin Edwards, will be joined by Brit, James Toseland with both riders bringing a wealth of riding experience to the Yamaha Tech 3 Team.

Texan Edwards, after four years in the elite class and winning two World Superbike Championships in 2000 and 2002, possesses an invaluable amount of development knowledge while Toseland is the recently crowned 2007 world superbike champion after first claiming his first world title in 2004.

In another exciting development for the vastly experienced French team both riders will compete on Michelin tyres as well as commencing the season on the latest version of the Yamaha M1.

The entire Tech 3 team is very happy to welcome these two great riders with their first outing at the next winter test this week at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia (15-16-17th November). The team will then head to Jerez in Spain from the 27th to 29th of November for the next stop of the hectic winter schedule before the December test ban comes into effect.

Colin Edwards quotes:
“I’m honestly really excited about coming to Tech 3. I think the overall package that Yamaha has put together for next year – four good bikes and four World Champions and four different crews giving Yamaha a whole lot of information means we will be on the pace from the start and it’s pretty exciting. I’ve known Herve well and I know that Tech 3 is a very good outfit and I’m also really looking forward to sharing a garage with James. I’m positive that it’s going to be a great team.”

James Toseland quotes:
“I am over the moon about coming to MotoGP. It seems to have been a long time coming to get this opportunity but it has come at the right time and is the opportunity of a lifetime. It is a massive transition in my life to make and I am really looking forward to it. I don’t know who was happier as my mum was in tears when we got the news! I am really thankful to Yamaha and I appreciate the chance they have given me and I want to thank everyone for the opportunity they have given me. I have met Herve on a couple of occasions and he is a genuine nice guy and I truly feel the Tech 3 Team will be a good place to start my MotoGP career so it’s nice to be welcomed into the team. It will also be good to be working with Colin again as we have had a 10 year separation. He has said some really nice things in the press as to how he will help me. We get on really well together so I think we should make a good team. I’ve been employed to do a serious job so I am not coming in with the mental attitude that there won’t be any pressure on me; there will be and I want to do the best job possible and be near the front.”