Stoner hopes to put sickness aside

The reigning champion took pole position with a lap early in the session and is hoping he will maintain his level of fitness for tomorrow's race.

"Yesterday I was running out of energy very quickly and had to keep coming in to sit for a few minutes, but this morning I woke up and felt completely different," he said.

"My head cold feels worse but in general my fitness and energy feel a lot better, so I don't really know what was going on yesterday but hopefully for tomorrow it's gone."

The Ducati rider reported that the recently resurfaced Brno circuit handled the water quite well, but the downpour during the session made conditions significantly tougher.

"In the dry it's quite slippery and hard on the front tyres, so we didn't know what to expect in the wet," he added. "But it faired quite well and there wasn't too much water.

"Unfortunately, half way through, when it started to rain heavier, the track became very difficult and there were a few patches that were catching a lot of riders out. It was quite hairy and I'm just thankful that we all got away with it.

"We were able to get pole again, which has been a fantastic run for us, but this afternoon was so wet that the set-ups don't count. We're just going to have to wait and see if ours is worth the cut in the dry."