Australia's Ducati rider, Casey Stoner, has shrugged off a fall in final practice to claim pole position for the Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island.
Yahama's Valentino Rossi, who won his fifth MotoGP world title last week in Japan, also suffered a fall in qualifying and eventually qualified 12th.
Rossi's team mate Jorge Lorenzo was second fastest while American Nicky Hayden, who is joining Stoner at Ducati from Honda next year, qualified third.
