However, the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda rider had been quickest of all in Friday morning practice - and his best lap from that session was unbeaten during qualifying.
"It's nice to end the day knowing that I've put the fastest lap in," said the Englishman, starting his final WSBK weekend before a move to
MotoGP. "This afternoon's conditions didn't allow me to improve, nor anybody else. The track dried out during the session but there were still a few wet patches and that made it difficult to get a fast lap in. I made a mistake on my last lap out there and it was too late to try again. Anyway, we've got tomorrow and the weather looks good for the rest of the weekend so we should be ok. I really want to end the season with a race win as well as the championship."
Toseland's nearest title rival, Max Biaggi, was just 14th fastest in first qualifying, with
Noriyuki Haga - the third and final rider still in title contention - a more promising third, behind Ducati team-mates
Lorenzo Lanzi and
Troy Bayliss.
"Despite the rain coming in just in time for the qualifying session, we have actually had a positive day," stated Toseland's team manager Ronald ten Kate. "This morning went really well with James staying at the top of the timesheet for the whole session. The afternoon was a little strange with the weather but we still saw some good laps from both riders. Tomorrow should be dry and we have done some good work today so we are not at all worried."
