Whilst acknowledging that American riders had an advantage on MotoGP's return to Laguna Seca in 2005, Colin Edwards believes track modifications since have erased any benefit for the home grown riders.

Edwards used his prior knowledge of Laguna to finish second behind countryman Nicky Hayden in the 2005 event, when Edwards also inflicted a rare team-mate defeat on Valentino Rossi, before further safety modifications and resurfacing took place.

“I don't think there was a home-track advantage [for the American riders] after the first year,” said the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider.

“We did the first year, and everything was great, and then they hacked up the track, pulled some off of Turn 1, changed the entry to the Corkscrew and repaved it.

"All the home-court advantage is really knowing where all the bumps are. Once they repaved it, everybody pretty much had to start from scratch.”

After his 2005 podium, Edwards finished ninth, eleventh and 14th in the three US GPs since, but will hope the new-for-2009 single tyre rule can help him reverse that trend and challenge for his first podium of the season this weekend.

Edwards will start round eight joint fifth in the championship, with Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa, having scored points in every round and taken a best race finish of fourth.

The Texan has claimed ten podiums in MotoGP, but is yet to win a race.