Edwards shrugs off practice crash

The Tech 3 Yamaha rider lost control at the fast corner before the chicane during yesterday afternoon's damp session. He said it had been a painful accident, but that there was no lasting damage.

"I made a small mistake before the chicane," Edwards said on Friday. "I drifted a little bit wide and all of a sudden the rear stepped out.

"It came back and I saved it but looked up and saw the wall on the other side of the gravel trap, so I just threw myself off the bike.

"I banged my left hip but I'm going to be fine for tomorrow."

Edwards' team-mate Ben Spies was fifth-fastest in the session, a result that he found particularly pleasing because the Estoril track was new to him.

"It makes it really hard having to learn a new track when the conditions are wet," Spies said. "You just don't know what the grip is like or where the strong points of the track are and for the first part of the session it was a bit like riding blindfolded.

"I tried to follow a few people and I got a good feeling pretty quickly though and to be top five on my first day in those conditions is something I'm really happy about. There were a few tricky spots out on the track today and that made it difficult without me fully understanding the limits."