16 Oct 2011

Home hero Stoner roars to pole for Aussie GP

6:23 am on 16 October 2011

Casey Stoner dominated qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix to extend his MotoGP record to 11 poles this season and boost his chance of sealing the championship with two races to spare.

Bidding for a fifth straight home GP win, Honda's Stoner lapped the scenic seaside circuit in one minute 29.975 seconds for his fourth straight pole at Phillip Island in trying, gusty conditions.

The Australian earlier slammed organisers for the bumpy state of the track but was nearly a half-second faster than reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo.