Marlboro Ducati’s Casey Stoner will start tomorrow’s Phillip Island MotoGP from pole position after smashing the lap record this morning – and Valentino Rossi will start from 12th after a massive crash.

Fiat Yamaha’s Rossi had a huge off at the 130mph Southern Loop with 15 minutes left and even though he left the pitlane in time for a final lap, The Doctor didn’t make it across the line for his last lap before the session ended.

Britain’s James Toseland will start from the middle of the second row after stringing together some great laps at a track he is very used to. It’s one of the only circuits the World Superbikes and MotoGP share.

After a frantic start to qualifying, where the lead was swapped between Stoner, Toseland, Rossi and Dani Pedrosa in the first five minutes, Stoner settled down and banged in a 1’30.127 lap to head the timesheets, while laying darkies over Lukey Heights (which is brave).

Toseland bounced up and down from first to second row for the whole session and looked to have beaten his team-mate Colin Edwards, but the Texan put in a qualifer and set pole with half an hour to, registering a 1’30.088 lap.

That lasted two minutes, as Edwards’ times was beaten by Andrea Dovozioso and his time was bettered by Nicky Hayden with 21 minutes left.

Rossi’s team-mate Jorge Lorenzo then used a qualifier and set pole with a 1’29.401 and Toseland followed him cross the line to take second just a tenth slower.

As the world watched Rossi lob it in the gravel, Pedrosa snuck into pole, was deposed by Hayden and then got it back again. The pair, and Lorenzo, swapped places over three laps until Stoner went out with four minutes left and blitzed the pole.

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