During those 20 laps, Edwards knocked 20 seconds off his race time, set en route to ninth in last October's Australian Grand Prix.

"I did a long run to give Michelin some information to see what the tyres could handle," explained the Yamaha Tech 3 rider. "The 20 laps I did I was 20 seconds faster than in the race last year which is positive. This track is a little bit strange because you spend so much time on the side of the tyre trying to build up speed. And that's where Michelin needs to concentrate their efforts so we can generate a little bit of speed.

"I'm more motivated than ever because I can see my team and Yamaha working, but to see Michelin put in the same effort and work just as hard adds a lot of motivation. Everybody is working equally hard with me and for me," he continued. "These guys are putting in the hard days at the moment and I'm really happy with my team. After these six days of testing in Sepang and Phillip Island I'm excited and I'm really looking forward to the first race in Qatar."

Edwards' best lap of the test came with a qualifying tyre on day one and would have placed him second only to Casey Stoner overall. Rookie team-mate James Toseland was a fraction faster than Edwards with qualifying tyres on day three.

Just five days of testing remain for Toseland and Edwards, in Jerez and Qatar, before the new season starts under floodlights in Qatar on March 9.