Australian MotoGP, Phillip Island
Date: 17-18 October
Saturday 17 October: Qualifying: 0250-0600, BBC Red Button/online
Sunday 18 October: 125 & 250 cc: 0250-0505, BBC Red Button/online; Main race: 0545-0700, BBC One/online; Race repeat: 1200-1300, BBC Two/online
**Casey Stoner claimed pole position for his home Australian MotoGP after edging world champion Valentino Rossi in Saturday’s close qualifying session.**Stoner, seeking a third win at Phillip Island in as many years, clocked one minute 30.341 seconds, with Rossi just five hundredths of a second slower.
Honda’s Dani Pedrosa was third-fastest, with Rossi’s Yamaha team-mate and title rival Jorge Lorenzo fourth.
Stoner’s pole is his first since the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix.
Rossi had knocked the Ducati rider off top spot in the final 10 minutes of the session, but Stoner hit back with the best time of the day.
“The past two years here our bike’s been perfect due to the fact that we normally have very good traction here,” he said.
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"This year we have improved the turning in the long corners, but we’ve lost the rear grip coming out of the corners, so we’ve been working all weekend to try and improve that, but the general bike’s been perfect.
“We’ll just see what we can do tomorrow.”
Two weeks ago, Stoner sealed a second-place finish in Portugal on his return from a three-race lay-off through a mystery illness.
Despite his health problems this season, Stoner still lies fourth in the championship standings.
Rossi leads Lorenzo by 18 points with three rounds remaining and was happy enough with his qualifying effort.
“Today we worked well on the bike, we found a good setting, and I am quite fast,” he said. "But it’s a pity because it was possible to take pole position but I made a mistake and Casey beat me.
“But from the championship point of view it is OK because I’m faster than Jorge. We have a good advantage, so I hope tomorrow to fight for the victory with Casey.”
Britain’s James Toseland will start 12th on the second Tech 3 Yamaha.