A thrilling final hour saw fortunes ebb and flow as the air and track temperatures cooled, necessitating a rethink from all the teams in terms of machine set-up and tyre choices. The grippier track and denser air allowed for some dramatic reductions in lap times for all 20 riders in the MotoGP class, with all the previous qualifying records broken and frequent changes of rider position being the norm.

Rossi's front row start is an almost perfect launch-pad for his attempt to win the inaugural four-stroke MotoGP championship before leaving Rio - a feat he can achieve if he finishes eleven points ahead of his team mate Tohru Ukawa (Repsol Honda Team RC211V). Acknowledging that the championship battle takes precedent over the individual race result this weekend, Rossi was defiant about going for the best possible finish.

"We are here to get the best result we can and for sure to try to win," said Rossi after a fraught session of intense competition. "On this track, however, we have had some problems. The set-up is not 100% but at least now I can ride the bike. It's not so bad. We tried out a new tyre and it seemed to work well. The race is another story and I hope we do not get caught out tomorrow with some bad weather."

Qualifying was headed by Max Biaggi's four-stroke Yamaha, with Jeremy McWilliams' three-cylinder Proton KR and Garry McCoy's two-stroke Yamaha filling the front row positions behind Rossi.

Daijiro Kato (Fortuna Honda Gresini RC211V) was the second best Honda finisher, in sixth, taking his four-stroke to the second row after spending most of the second timed session challenging for pole.

"Today is better than yesterday and we solved a lot of problems," said the reigning 250 World Champion. "It is very difficult to find a good set-up at such a bumpy track anyway, but I have a good feeling for the bike now. I am hopeful for the race tomorrow."

Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Kanemoto Racing Honda NSR500) took a second row start after using the changing track conditions to his advantage, eventually going eight fastest overall.

"We have been qualifying better in the last couple of races and we have had better compounds and so on available for the tyres," affirmed the Dutch rider. "But more importantly we have been doing a good number of 1'52 second laps with race tyres. The conditions this afternoon were a big help to all of us I think. The cooler air temperatures increased the engine power a lot, and the lower track temperature helped us with grip - it made an enormous difference. Only the weather can ruin things now if it starts to rain tomorrow."

Tohru Ukawa, the only man who can halt the Rossi juggernaut, was just off the second row in qualifying, ninth overall, after a tough final afternoon of practice.

"I was hoping to have a repeat of last year when we started off not so good on the first day but went better on the second day," said a somewhat disappointed Ukawa. "We went in a good direction with set-up this morning but we could not carry it forward to the afternoon. The feeling at the rear of the machine is not so good and it still feels a little unstable. I will have to make a good start tomorrow to keep in touch with the leaders."

Loris Capirossi (West Honda Pons NSR500) was stranded in the midfield in 12th, after losing out on some valuable practice time.

"I've really only been able to make good use of one of the practice sessions and if you take into consideration that I have only ridden for one hour then I should be quite satisfied with the time," quoted Capirossi after qualifying. "But obviously, I am not happy to be in 12th position. We had many problems throughout the session and we only really resolved them at the end, when we were running out of time. Looking at the situation realistically I think we could have finished on the front row."

Alex Barros (West Honda Pons NSR500) could not repeat his excellent first day form at his own home track, and had to settle for a lowly 15th place.

"We are in the same situation as last year," stated Barros. "I found good rhythm but I did not manage to put in one really quick lap to put me higher up the grid. Obviously I cannot be satisfied with my performance and I hope to be much higher up in the race. There is a high risk of rain for the race, and it is much easier to make up positions in the wet."

Tetsuya Harada (Pramac Honda NSR500) went 19th on his two-stroke machine, praising the speed of his machine but fighting against grip problems on his two-stroke.

"Today the bike feels quite fast but we are still having problems with the tyres, because after a few laps the bike starts to slip," said a resigned Harada. "I think the race will be very had in these conditions."

Valentino Rossi, Repsol Honda Team: 2nd: "We come here to make the best result for the race tomorrow. The Team have done some great work on the bike and we are in pretty good shape. We are not a 100% but have tomorrow morning to make small changes. I wanted to make a final lap but it was not possible as the flag was out. Today I've found a good rhythm and have enjoyed riding the bike. Tomorrow we wait to see the weather. If the rain comes it is a completely different story."

Daijiro Kato, Fortuna Honda Gresini, 6th: "Today was really much better than yesterday: we solved a lot of problems. It's difficult to find an ideal set up on such a bumpy track, but today I had an optimal feeling and out there and I'm hopeful for the race tomorrow."

Fabrizio Cecchini, Kato's race Engineer: "We made a machine very different in settings from yesterday and we chose the right direction. Daijiro had problems with this track because of his light weight and slim body which makes it difficult for him on the bumps. Anyway, he is also able to solve this problem. I saw the weather forecast and I hope it will not rain: we practiced and qualified in the dry and I'm confident that it will be a great race, without the rain."

Jurgen van den Goorbergh, Kanemoto Honda, 8th: "This afternoon went pretty good for us. The weather helped a lot, the cooler conditions aided the overall set up. I had a 'moment' in that session. I was behind Barros when he braked a little early, while I braked a little late. I had to take avoiding action and ran into the gravel trap. I saved it, but it was close. I went back out and went faster so I'm happy about that. It should be good for us if the weather stays like this. We will also run well in the wet, as he Bridgestone's have shown how good they are in the wet. As we get to the end of the year things get better and better. I was very disappointed after Estoril, as we could have run well there. Now we have another chance to show what we can really do."

Team owner - manager Erv Kanemoto: "Not too bad. It's as we said yesterday, indications are good for us to have a good race. We are in a good position. The machine settings and tyre combination are as close as we could get them, working in complete harmony. We made a few minor; fine-tuning changes overnight and improved on yesterday's good performance. Whatever the weather we feel we have the set up to cope with the conditions. As at Estoril the indications from qualifying are that we will have positive result. We just have to run the race to see where we are right now."

Tohru Ukawa, Repsol Honda Team: 9th: "A little disappointed as things started to look good this morning. I was hoping for a repeat of last year when the first qualifying day wasn't so good as well. Things got better on the second day. We made some good steps this morning but couldn't continue in the same direction this afternoon. The feeling at the rear of the bike is not so good and still feels a little unstable. I will have to make a good start tomorrow to keep in touch with the leaders."

Loris Capirossi, West Honda Pons: 12th: "I've really only been able to make good use of one of the four practice sessions and if you take into account that I have only really ridden for one hour then I should be quite satisfied with the time, but it's obvious that I'm not happy starting from twelfth position. We had many problems throughout the session and we only resolved them at the end when we were running out of time. Looking at the situation realistically I think that I could have finished on the front row. As always I tried my best, but it was nearly impossible to ride the bike and I could not go any faster than I did."

Alex Barros, West Honda Pons: 15th: "We are in the same situation as last year. I found a good rhythm but I did not manage to put in one really quick lap to put me higher up on the grid. Obviously I cannot be satisfied with my performance and I hope to do much better in the race. There is a high risk of rain for the race and it is much easier to make up positions in the wet. Whatever the weather, it will be a difficult race. However, I am optimistic because last year I made up a lot of positions until it started to rain and I will try and do the same this year."

Sito Pons: "We clearly have problems finding the right settings for the bike which, together with the tyres, meant that our riders could not improve their times more. I am convinced that both Alex and Loris will give their all tomorrow, as they always do, and I hope that with the work of our team, and of Michelin, we can solve the problems in time to be able to ride a good race."

Tetsuya Harada, Pramac Honda Team: 19th: "Today the bike is quite fast but we still have problems with the tyres because after a few laps the bike starts to slip. I think the race will be very hard in these conditions."