Quotes from Phillip Island final qualifying.

Jeremy McWilliams produced the shock of the 500cc season when he rode to his first-ever 500 pole position, dominating the final qualifying aboard his Aprilia RSV500 twin. The achievement gave Britain its first 500 pole since Niall Mackenzie at the 1987 Japanese Grand Prix.

McWilliams said, "Aprilia have a new rear suspension link here and the bike feels like it did back at the start of the season. The times came no problem, I could've gone faster. All I want to do now is get a good start and try and make the break, because I know I've got speed in reserve."

Overnight pole position holder Alex Barros was forced to settle for second, unable to come to terms with McWilliams, he would qualify 0.259seconds behind the Ulsterman to whom he paid tribute, "I think that Jeremy surprised everyone. It's an amazing time he made. He just went all out, those two laps. I couldn't believe the Aprilia was still in the front, but Jeremy maybe fixed the setup, good tyres and made the lap times. This is good for him. It's - I think - his first pole."

Barros has not ruled out his chances in the race however, "It's good to be in the front row and we're doing all we can in rain condition, dry condition, no wind. When it's less windy, the machine works very well. I need to say thank you to my mechanics, they did a great job, but we need to wait for tomorrow. It all depends on how the weather is. I'm feeling very confident for the race."

A fine third place went to Regis Laconi, who will be replaced at Red Bull Yamaha next year by Superbike ace Noriyuki Haga, Laconi however, clearly felt at home today, "This is my own track! (laughs). I'm not Australian, but I like so much this track. But this year it was very difficult because we have a big difference with weather, all the days it's different, the wind, the rain - but we found some good solutions for the setting and I'm very happy about the bike."

New World Champion Kenny Roberts Jr. had hoped that better weather today would aid his cause, unfortunately the American knew pole was out of the question, "We really struggled today. Jeremy just killed everybody. I got to follow him about halfway through and then I kind of knew that I was in trouble. Just to make the front row today, I'm happy. Last year, the Suzuki was easier to get around here."

Roberts main concerns for the race are the weather and tyres, particularly after having lost last years race after a tyre failure, he said, "I think the weather and the wind play a big role here in the lap times being slow, but we have no idea about a race tyre, so we're going to have to figure that out in the morning."

Gary McCoy resurrected sixth place in front of his home fans, but believes he could have done better, "I could have maybe been even better placed if I hadn't come up behind another rider on the Southern Loop. I don't think he realised I was there and moved to the middle of the track, forcing me to lose concentration and take a little excursion down the slip road."

The Australian remains optimistic for the race, "It is good to be on the second row, and as long as I get a clean start and safely through the first corner, I think we should have a good race."

McWilliams' teammate, Tetsuya Harada, missed the second qualifying session after he crashed in morning practice and was then flown to hospital in Melbourne, over concerns about possible spleen damage.

Thankfully closer medical examination revealed no spleen injury, although Harada still suffered bruising to his neck. The decision to compete in the Australian Grand Prix will be taken tomorrow.

250cc qualifying saw the three main title contenders in the top three places, pole position holder today being Shinya Nakano, turning the tables on teammate Jacque, with Katoh poised in third to steal the title away from them both should they slip up.

Pole position holder Nakano said, "There was less wind today and that helped me feel more comfortable on the bike. I used my number two bike, which is giving me more confidence with the front tyre, and I managed to find a good set-up for that. The bike is more stable so I was able to run more consistent lap times. I'm happy with this pole but the important thing is obviously what will happen in tomorrow's race. I expect a tough fight, but I'm ready."

Olivier Jacque remains equally buoyant, "The wind changed direction and we basically had to start from scratch. To be honest, I'm still not totally satisfied with the way the bike is. But the bike was better during my last run and we were able to gather a lot of data which will prove useful tomorrow. The race pace will be high but I'm confident. I've always been competitive on this track and I enjoy a good fight."

The only rider on the front row not to have a chance of the title was Marco Melandri, who explained his troubled session, "We had a few technical problems at the start which lost us a little time and then we had trouble finding a good tyre for the race. No matter what tyre we tried, we couldn't get one to last more than a couple of laps. To make everything worse, I've got a small infection in my left eye. So all in all I think we can be satisfied with our position."

New 125cc World Champion, Roberto Locatelli, recovered brilliantly from the disappointment of yesterday (when he was tenth) to take pole from Derbi rider Youichi Ui.

Locatelli told his official website of his target tomorrow, "I'm encouraged by the fact that nobody has managed to get near my best performance. Now we have only to settle those little details which could be decisive for the race. My aim is always the same: I want to win to give Aprilia the World Title it deserves."

Youichi Ui was critical of his own performance, saying, "I don't have good feelings on the bike. I'm not happy despite having clinched the second best time. I am not consistent enough and lack a fast pace, something we must reach fixing a few things in the warm-up. I still have setting problems with the suspension. I can't ride as I like it. I love this racetrack but it's giving me much trouble".