Rain hands pole to Rossi in qualifying washout.

Valentino Rossi was virtually handed pole position today in the Gauloises Dutch TT taking place at Assen this weekend, as a couple of heavy downpours put paid to any other rider improving on the time he set in the first qualifying session yesterday.

With half an hour gone in the second qualifier, it looked as if the track had dried sufficiently for the MotoGP riders to begin to put in some competitive lap times, but unfortunately another downpour meant that all practice was irrelevant in terms of times, and also that Rossi remained on pole.

It is the sixth time this year that the Italian will start from top spot in the MotoGP class, having watched Biaggi take the only other pole in Catalunya two weeks ago. As always the riders all knew the importance of putting in fast times on the first day of qualifying here in Holland, as unpredictability with the weather is par for the course. That theory was proved today as Rossi's time of 2'01.691, set in the dying seconds of qualifying on Thursday, kept him at the front for tomorrow's race.

The reigning World Champion, who is looking to win in the blue riband class at Assen for the first time in his career, said after the damp practice session, "In the end my good lap from yesterday was enough to take pole so for this I am happy. But I'm not happy with the bike because we needed today to work on the setting for the dry. I have some problems in the wet so I would prefer the sunshine but I know that this weather is very complicated. We'll just have to wait for the race."

The wet weather also means that Max Biaggi will start from alongside Rossi, missing out by just 0.025 seconds from snatching pole position himself. Biaggi won here last year when rain stopped the race after he managed to hold off a Rossi charge, but the weather forecasts dictate that a similar outcome is less likely tomorrow, with some better weather predicted. Kenny Roberts took his best qualification since the last Grand Prix of 2001 in Rio de Janeiro as he starts from third place tomorrow giving Suzuki its second front row appearance in as many races.

Loris Capirossi finished off the front row in fourth, ahead of his Honda Pons team-mate Alex Barros. The pair often feature well in wet races, so may hope for more rainy weather tomorrow. The second row was completed by Checa, Harada and Ukawa, with the third row a combination of McWilliams, Hopkins, Laconi and replacement rider Alex Hofmann.

The quarter-litre class had much the same problem when a drying track was ruined by a heavy cloudburst, thus allowing Marco Melandri to start from pole position for the first time this season. Second in the championship and with three wins to his name Melandri has only been off the front row once this year. He will start with De Puniet, Nieto and Elias alongside him, yet another all-Aprilia front row in what is proving to be a very successful season for the Italian factory.

With the rain falling just prior to the 125cc practice, there was no chance for anyone to knock 16 year-old Spaniard Dani Pedrosa off pole. Having set the fastest time yesterday, Pedrosa claimed his third pole position of this season, and is in prime position to follow up with a first win. Lucio Cecchinello will be a happy man, as he and his team-mate Alex de Angelis will start from second and third respectively tomorrow, while Mika Kallio, the young Finnish hope, makes his first ever front row in just his ninth GP start.