"So for the last tyre I went into turn one and knew I just had to get in deep enough and I really hammered it round the first two corners. I was 0.3s up just in that one section. From there I rode a good lap but I didn't have any real moments. It was weird because I didn't really have to take any risks like normal to do that time. Everything was pretty calm and collected and the Michelin qualifier is awesome," he declared.
However, many question marks remain for the race - not least the weather - and Edwards confirmed that, despite his qualifying pace,
Bridgestone riders Rossi and
Casey Stoner will be hard to beat in the dry.
"It is going to be at tough race," he said. "I haven't done a '59 yet on a race tyre and Casey and Valentino look to be doing consistent '59. I just got to get a good start and hang in there."
Team-mate
James Toseland will start from seventh on the grid after the British rider continued to make big progress on hi very first visit to the huge Shanghai circuit.
"I've had to dig deep this weekend because this is a much tougher track to master than Portugal," said the
MotoGP rookie. "It is tough learning it on race tyres so to then throw the qualifiers in with the extra grip it almost makes it a completely new track again because you've got to go so much faster.
"On my first tyre I was out on my second bike and we'd changed the clutch and I had a problem with the gear shifter. I went out on my first bike on the second tyre and pinned it out of the double left and had a really big moment. My feet came off the pegs and I bit the screen so that was the end of that lap too.
"I only had one tyre really to make a time but without the experience of knowing how hard to push with the first two, I wasn't really up to speed. I went out on the last tyre and braked a bit early for one corner and ran a bit wide at another but these things are going to happen on a brand new track.
