Edwards, 28, was heading for his best lap time of the weekend but ran wide into the last corner, through the gravel safety trap before powering back onto the track for his fourth pole position start of the year.

"The team have been telling me all weekend that I'm slow in the last section of the track so I went into that last chicane hard," Edwards explained. "But then I found myself hanging on through the gravel and on the grass."

He continued: "I'm not sure what happened on that lap, everything really came together ­ until the last corner. We've had two good, solid days of practice here ­ even though you're always keeping one on the weather.

"I'm feeling pretty good about the races tomorrow whether it's wet or dry. I know two wins are all I can concentrate on but I believe it's possible. The machine, with the new motor and new Castrol oil, have proven themselves at Assen to be as good as they were at Oschersleben and Michelin have come up with the goods again."