Edwards ­ the fastest rider after two days of qualifying ­ was happy to add to his tally of front row starts, now nine from 10 rounds - after taking fifth place on the grid for the Japanese round in April.

"I saw the TV monitor and Michael Rutter had set a 1m 26.7s lap so I knew what I had to do to be on the front row, that's all I was bothered about," said Edwards.

He continued: "Being on pole position is always nice but it counts for nothing really, it's the two race wins I'm concentrating on.

"We've had two really good days here and the SP-2 has been faultless. We've still a couple of tyre options to try with Michelin but we know what's a good bet for the races."

Edwards concluded: "It was disappointing to see Troy's crash this morning and I'm pleased he's OK but there's not just Troy to worry about here, there's three or four riders who can be in the fray for race wins."