Dario Franchitti couldn't remember the first time he won a pole on the street course in Toronto.

He hasn't forgotten how to get around the tricky 11-turn circuit.

Franchitti captured his third pole in five IndyCar Series races yesterday for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, beating part-time Penske driver Will Power for the top spot for today's Honda Indy.

"That was an awful long time ago," Franchitti said of the only pole he won as a Champ Car rookie in 1997. "I was trying to remember what I did right so I could do it in practice.

"It took me until the first qualifying run this afternoon. Up until then, I hadn't been driving the track properly. I wasn't getting a rhythm. I finally got in that rhythm and the difference was massive."

Power was followed by Graham Rahal, Watkins Glen winner Justin Wilson, Canada's Alex Tagliani, and Mike Conway, who will start sixth for the second consecutive race, the best qualifying performances of his rookie season.

Franchitti's teammate, series points leader Scott Dixon, will go off eighth, while Penske's Ryan Briscoe, tied for second in the standings with Franchitti, will start 11th.

In her first career appearance at Toronto, Danica Patrick, fifth in points, will start 18th, her second-worst showing of the season.

Red Bull's Mark Webber earned the pole position for the German Grand Prix ahead of Brawn GP's Rubens Barrichello.

Webber won his first career pole with a fastest lap of 1 minute, 32.230 seconds around a slippery Nuerburgring circuit.

Overall F1 leader Jenson Button will start third.