Estoril - AFP
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.