Edwards delighted with pole position

The Tech 3 Yamaha rider struggled earlier in the weekend, but pulled out a great lap in qualifying to claim pole position. He was encouraged by the pace of the YZR-M1 but expects a close fight in tomorrow's race.

"We came here yesterday and I really struggled," he said. "We changed the bike quite drastically for today and when I went out this morning it felt great and I did some good times.

"I don't know if we've got the best race pace, but I think we have a pretty good pace. We'll go out there tomorrow on new tyres and see what the other guys have got. We'll see what they can throw down and see if we can fight for it.

"I'm banking on rain tomorrow bringing the track temperature down. If it's as low as it was today, we're set."

The American was pleased to pull out a stunning qualifying lap on a circuit he finds frustrating.

"This track is a pain in the ass for me, to be honest," he said. "There are so many sections but I lose all my time in one corner. It's frustrating, but when it works, it works great.

"My first and second qualifying runs weren't that bad. On the third tyre I went into turn one with my eyes closed and it stuck. I had a good time at the first split and just managed to hold it for the rest of the lap."