Rossi lands last Donington pole.

The last British MotoGP pole position at Donington Park, before a 2010 switch to Silverstone, has fallen to reigning world champion Valentino Rossi.

After Friday's wet session, qualifying took place in the dry, with Fiat Yamaha star Rossi claiming his fourth pole of the season by 0.095sec over Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa. Pedrosa won the 2006 event and had been fastest in both free practice sessions this weekend.

Rossi's team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, who will start round ten 14 points behind the Italian, was fastest for a large part of the one hour session. However a nasty rear-end kick while accelerating out of the Foggy Esses on his last lap contributed to the young Spaniard finishing in third position, 0.286sec from Rossi.

This afternoon's fastest laps were set using the softer rear tyre, but the harder front option.

Interestingly, Rossi was not completely satisfied with his pace on the harder rear tyre. By contrast, Lorenzo's problems materialised when he switched to the softer rear for a late pole attack.

Third in the championship Casey Stoner, winner at Donington for the past two seasons, fell from his Ducati in morning practice and again at the halfway mark of this afternoon's session.

The young Australian, who lost the front at the Melbourne Hairpin in the morning, tumbled at the McLeans right-hander while holding second behind Lorenzo halfway through qualifying.

Stoner looked to save a rear wobble on corner entry, but the front then crumbled as he tipped his Desmosedici into the turn. Stoner walked away unharmed but never looked fully comfortably thereafter, on what is thought to have been his spare bike.

Nevertheless, the #27 claimed a close fourth place on his last lap, 0.330sec behind Rossi's M1.

The championship top four were once again in a class of their own, with fifth placed Andrea Dovizioso 0.332sec behind Lorenzo on the second Repsol Honda.

Colin Edwards, a past MotoGP pole sitter and podium finisher at Donington Park, completes row two as the top satellite rider in sixth for Monster Yamaha Tech 3.

Seventh and the final rider within one second of Rossi was Hayate's Marco Melandri, with Toni Elias eighth for Honda Gresini. Home star James Toseland will start from the outside of row three in ninth for Tech 3.

Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) edged out rookie Mika Kallio (Pramac Ducati) for tenth, while the Rizla Suzukis of Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi will start just 13th and 14th, immediately behind Alex de Angelis (Gresini Honda).

Nicky Hayden struggled throughout the session on his way to 15th on the second factory Ducati, ahead of only Pramac's Niccolo Canepa and Scot Honda's Gabor Talmacsi.

Donington Park has hosted the British round since 1987. Weather forecasts warn of possible rain on race day.

Qualifying:

1. Rossi
2. Pedrosa
3. Lorenzo
4. Stoner
5. Dovizioso
6. Edwards
7. Melandri
8. Elias
9. Toseland
10. de Puniet
11. Kallio
12. de Angelis
13. Vermeulen
14. Capirossi
15. Hayden
16. Canepa
17. Talmacsi