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Stoner was in ominously good form in very wet conditions at Donington

Casey Stoner produced storming pace in treacherous conditions to secure pole position for Sunday's British MotoGP.

The world champion negotiated heavy rain to set a lap of one minute, 38.232 seconds at Donington Park.

Championship leader Valentino Rossi and Chris Vermeulen will share the front row, lapping more than 0.5secs slower.

Home hope James Toseland, bidding for a first MotoGP podium finish on Sunday, will start from 16th position after three crashes in the wet conditions.

Around 80,000 spectators were expected at Donington Park to watch the weekend racing, but their hopes of witnessing a first British podium finish since Jeremy McWilliams in 2000 may have been ruined by the conditions.

Toseland, who has secured four sixth-placed finishes so far this campaign, had targeted success on a track he knows well.

I will try my best and the support of my home crowd will help to spur me on James Toseland

Toseland's cause was not helped by crashes, the second and third of which came on his final lap with less than a minute left in the session, with a wrong choice of tyres apparently to blame for the worst qualifying position of his MotoGP career to date.

"It's obviously hugely disappointing to have my worst qualifying session of the season at my home Grand Prix," he said.

"I didn't make the most of my best qualifying tyre and then I tried to push too hard towards the end on the wrong tyre for the job. I couldn't be expected to go out there and not try my best - unfortunately, I tried too hard and paid the price.

"This weekend was always going to be difficult and the bad weather has just added to that. I've got a tough job ahead of me on Sunday and a lot of hard work, so I'm hoping for some dry weather.

606: DEBATE Your thoughts on the British GP

Nicky Hayden, Colin Edwards and Andrea Dovizioso will start from the second row, while Spain's Dani Pedrosa, Rossi's nearest championship rival, finished ninth.

However, they will have their work cut out to match the pace of Stoner who, after dominating in the dry on Friday, produced a flawless display of 800cc riding on his Ducati Marlboro to continually lower his time throughout the hour-long session.

And, with Fiat Yamaha's Rossi second and Vermeulen on his Rizla Suzuki third, it represents the first time Bridgestone tyres have swallowed the front row this season.

British GP qualifying result:
1 C Stoner (Aus) Ducati 1min 38.232sec
2 V Rossi (Ita) Fiat Yamaha 1:38.881
3 C Vermeulen (Aus) Suzuki 1:39.018
4 N Hayden (US) Honda 1:39.270
5 C Edwards (US) Yamaha 1:39.601
6 A Dovizioso (Ita) Honda 1:39.783
7 A West (Aus) Kawasaki 1:39.995
8 B Spies (US) Suzuki 1:40.244
9 D Pedrosa (Spa) Honda 1:40.350
10 S Nakano (Jpn) Honda 1:40.417

16 J Toseland (GB) Yamaha 1:41.751