Stoner takes pole for Portugal MotoGP

Australia's world champion Casey Stoner took pole position for Sunday's Portuguese MotoGP here on Saturday. The 26-year-old Honda rider, who won last weekend's Spanish MotoGP, recorded the 39th pole position of his career -- the 35th in MotoGp -- ahead of team-mate Dani Pedrosa of Spain, while British rider Cal Crutchlow was third fastest on a Yamaha. Spain's 2010 world champion and current championship leader Jorge Lorenzo -- winner of this race in 2008 and 2010 -- finished fourth fastest, ending a run of four successive pole positions. The qualifying session was suspended for several minutes with eight minutes remaining because of a fall by French rider Randy de Puniet, while American Colin Edwards also came to ground. Lorenzo's Yamaha team-mate Ben Spies of the United States will start from fifth spot on the grid, while Italian great Valentino Rossi could post only the ninth fastest time on his Ducati.