Lorenzo pleased to be second

Although the newly-crowned world champion won twice at the Australian venue in 250cc, he has not finished on the podium in either of his previous MotoGP starts there.

He was 0.6 seconds behind Stoner in qualifying today, as the Ducati rider took his third straight Phillip Island pole. Stoner has won every MotoGP race at the track since 2007.

"I'm happy with the pace I've done here because normally this track is not so good for me, especially in MotoGP," said Lorenzo. "Apart from Casey - he's really, really quick - we have the best pace today."

Although today's sessions have not seen the same level of rain as Friday, cold temperatures, strong wings and drizzle have continued to make life difficult for the riders.

"Very risky conditions - the track is so cold and the wind is pushing a lot," said Lorenzo. "So for us it's difficult to stay on the bike. Let's hope tomorrow the weather stays more or less like this, without rain."