Rossi was in blistering form at the Losail International Circuit

Ducati rider Casey Stoner was on course for pole before Rossi edged him in the closing moments of qualifying.

Rossi's Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards starts from third on the grid, with world champion Nicky Hayden down in ninth on the Repsol Honda.

Rossi's last lap time of one minute, 55.002 seconds beat the 1:55.683 set by Stoner last year.

The front row will be completed by Tony Elias of Spain, with Hayden's Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa of Spain starting from fifth.

Northern Ireland's Jeremy McWilliams crashed during the session and ended with a best time of 1:59.606 that leaves him 20th on the grid.

An X-ray later revealed no break to the femur McWilliams broke in a crash last year.

Qatar sees the new 800cc bikes replacing the 990cc versions, but lap times did not suffer.

We're expecting a good performance for the race as the bikes seem to have a good grip Valentino Rossi

Frenchman Randy de Puniet came up with a stunning performance for Kawasaki, topping the time sheets for much of the qualifying session.

But in a frantic final few minutes, Australian Stoner produced a brilliant last-gasp effort to edge Edwards into second.

The stage was set for five-time world champion Rossi to strike and the Italian did not disappoint.

As the final seconds of the session ticked away, Rossi seized pole with a blistering last lap that lay down a marker to the rest of the grid.

"It was a great qualifying session," said the 28-year-old.

"I was not sure if I had finished on top as all the riders - Casey, Colin and me were very fast.

"Now we're expecting a good performance for the race as the bikes seem to have a good grip on the track with the tyres."

Rossi is chasing a hat-trick of wins in Qatar and the pole was the 46th of his career - matching his racing number.

"It's extra special for me," he added. "I hope this is a good omen for Saturday."