As heavy afternoon rain once again fell at the famous Tuscan circuit, World Championship leader Stoner claimed his first pole of the season in a time of 2:00.359.

However, while the result was testament to Stoner's ability, it was also a demonstration of how reliable Bridgestone's tyres are in wet conditions, as seven of the top 10 riders had them equipped for the afternoon qualifying.

Rizla Suzuki rider, Vermeulen, is rapidly making a name for himself as a wet track specialist, as the rider won a rainy Le Mans MotoGP before putting in solid performances at Mugello as the skies opened.

In the qualifying, Vermeulen (2:01.381) was still more than a second behind compatriot Stoner while Fiat Yamaha's Valentino Rossi (2:01.695) completed the front row, with the Italian searching for a sixth consecutive victory at Mugello.

Kawasaki's Olivier Jacque (2:01.709) came in fourth, while Stoner's Ducati team-mate Loris Capirossi (2:01.797) put some bad recent form behind him to claim fifth.

Last season's Championship winner Nicky Hayden continues to struggle this time around, coming in 13th with a time of 2:04.353 as Yamaha's Colin Edwards (2:06.254) also had difficulties with the conditions.

Sportal