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Edwards scorched to an unexpected pole position in Shanghai

Tech 3 Yamaha's Colin Edwards has taken pole position for the China Grand Prix after a record lap in Shanghai.

The American rider unexpectedly outpaced Fiat Yamaha's Valentino Rossi, while Australian world champion Casey Stoner was third on his Ducati.

Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo achieved a remarkable fourth place, despite his huge crash on Friday which left him with a chipped ankle bone.

Britain's James Toseland, team-mate of Edwards, qualified in seventh.

Edwards, 34, is still looking for his first win in MotoGP but he put in a scorcher of a lap in the final minutes of qualifying to shock Rossi and Stoner.

The pair had looked unbeatable for much of the qualifying session until Edwards broke Rossi's pole record set last year.

LCR Honda's Randy de Puniet suffered a late crash in an incident-filled session, which included falls for Andrea Dovizioso, Nicky Hayden, Shinya Nakano and John Hopkins.

I have to be happy with seventh place on the grid, but I still want to push myself to achieve more James Toseland

And Lorenzo almost repeated his crash from Friday's practice when his Yamaha bucked wildly coming out of a turn.

Only laps later he was unable to brake in time and had to go off the track into the gravel.

And in the pit lanes the Spaniard could not even dismount his bike without assistance.

World Superbike champion Toseland, also in his first MotoGP season, was not content with his placing, despite never having ridden the circuit before.

"I have to be happy with seventh place on the grid, but I still want to push myself to achieve more," Toseland told his official website.

"We have an excellent package with Tech 3 Yamaha and Michelin, as Colin has proved by securing pole.

"I'm really pleased for him because I know how talented he is and how hard he works, but it also provides strong motivation for me."

Heavy rain is forecast for race day and Edwards is known to thrive in the wet, while Toseland is hoping the conditions remain favourable.

He added: "We've practised in slightly damp conditions here in Shanghai but I have absolutely no experience at this track in the wet.

"So I'm hoping that the weather will not be as bad as the forecast suggests."

In the 125cc class, Britain's Bradley Smith put his Aprilia on pole, with championship leader Simone Corsi only 11th quickest.

Qualifying result for China MotoGP

1. Colin Edwards (U.S.) Yamaha 1:58.139
2. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Yamaha 1:58.494
3. Casey Stoner (Australia) Ducati 1:58.591
4. Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha 1:58.711
5. Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 1:58.855
6. Loris Capirossi (Italy) Suzuki 1:58.941
7. James Toseland (Britain) Yamaha 1:59.254
8. Chris Vermeulen (Australia) Suzuki 1:59.325
9. Randy de Puniet (France) Honda 1:59.357
10. Nicky Hayden (U.S.) Honda 1:59.507