Rossi on Valencia pole

Valentino Rossi produced a sensational late lap to snatch pole position for the Valencia Grand Prix. The 27-year-old Yamaha rider took his fifth pole of the year in 1:31.002 and even had time to sit out the final two minutes of qualifying as his pursuers went for broke.

"This grid is very good for us for the race and we know we have great potential with qualifying tyres. I did three very good laps and the last one was pole position. Its crucial to start from the front here. We did a very good job in practice, but we've still got to decided on two or three small things for the race with the bike. Tomorrow is very important." Rossi, who will win a sixth straight world title if he finshes second on Sunday, took the 34th pole of his career.

The star of qualifying, however, was undoubtledly Australian Troy Bayliss, as the World Superbike champion took second on the grid on his first Moto GP appearance for a year. Bayliss' Ducati team-mate Loris Capirossi ended up third with Shinya Nakano fourth for Kawasaki as Bridgestone-tyred bikes formed an effective barrier between Rossi and the rest.

Rossi's title rival Nicky Hayden, who trails the Italian by eighth points, could only manage fifth on his Repsol Honda, with his Spanish team-mate Dani Pedrosa completing the second row beside him. Despite missing the earlier practice session with a back problem, Casey Stoner on an LCR Honda led the Suzuki duo of Chris Vermeulen and John Hopkins on the third row while Rossi's team-mate Colin Edwards completed the top ten. Further down, there was disappointent for Estoril winner Toni Elias and podium finisher Kenny Roberts Jr, who were 13th and 14th for Fortuna Honda and Team KR.