Pedrosa says team must be prepared for chance of wet race

The Spaniard said a well-timed strategy, and pushing in the right places out on track, had helped him edge out works team-mate Casey Stoner for pole.

He insists however that rather than celebrate, the unpredictable weather meant Honda must now work on its wet set-up in order to be ready for any eventuality.

"I'm not usually a pole guy, [so] it is great," Pedrosa said. "I'm happy to be on pole, but really we must work hard to get the best bike on the grid tomorrow.

"Here at Le Mans the race is always a kind of mix, so I hope to get some good settings for dry and wet. We have to be ready to go fast in any conditions.

"It was a tough session because at the beginning you didn't know if it was going to rain again, so it was key to choose the right moment to push and to not get out of the line.

"Let's see what the weather does tomorrow, but the race is very long here, 28 laps, and everything can change. I hope to have a good start and to be able to keep a good pace until the end."