Van den Goorbergh gutted.

Proton Team KR rider Jurgen van den Goorbergh will start tomorrow's British GP from fifth, the Dutch rider's best qualifying position this year on the lightweight three-cylinder Proton KR3 - but he was still angry and disappointed.

Until the final minutes of the last session, he had been fourth fastest, and in line for his first front-row start with the team. The session had been damp throughout, and positions were still determined by Friday's times.

Then there was a brief window when the track was dry enough for slick tyres - and Nakano managed to slip in ahead of the Dutchman to knock him down to the second row.

"I am really disappointed. Today just wasn't our day. It was wet all session, then in the last five minutes there was a possibility to improve," explained the disappointed Dutchman. "I tried, but I made too many mistakes, and one other lap was spoiled by another rider.

"The second row is not bad, but to be knocked off the front row at the last minute by less than a tenth of a second is very irritating. Apart from that, things have been going quite well. I had a few problems this morning, but later I was going well. We have a good set-up, and if I can get a good start and not lose too many places off the line we can get a good result."

"We'd have liked the front row, but we didn't get it," added Team Owner Kenny Roberts. "As far as our machine development goes, I'm pleased - but we needed the weather to be better, or worse.

"Success for us is to get off the starting line well. We can go faster than some V4s, but it's hard to overtake them - so every place on the grid is vital. I'm hoping that tomorrow it will either be hotter than hell, or raining. Either of those conditions would make us more competitive."

The Donington Park circuit is more than just the home track for Proton Team KR. The complex and very technical corners take the emphasis away from raw horsepower, and favour the KR3's accurate steering and good roadholding.