Toseland recovers lost ground.

By Mike Nicks

It wasn't the smartest thing for James Toseland to do when he binned the Tech 3 Yamaha on only the third lap of practice for the German Grand Prix yesterday.

The crash could have spiralled into a black weekend, especially when he finished 17th and last by the end of the first day, but JT salvaged the situation today by qualifying just 1.059 seconds off Casey Stoner's record-busting pace.

At 2.281 miles/3.671 kilometres in length, the Sachsenring is the shortest but one of the 18 circuits on the MotoGP calendar (Laguna Seca's 2.243 miles is the shortest), yet it may also be the most difficult to master due to the several blind apex points on its roller-coaster layout.

"It's the most technical track I've learnt in years," Toseland said as he left his pitbox today. "On other ...