Sete Gibernau set a new pole position record to head an all-Honda front row on the first day of qualifying for the Cinzano Rio Grand Prix. Gibernau had contested top spot for much of the session with Yamaha rival Valentino Rossi but the late surge for times saw Makoto Tamada and Alex Barros gatecrash the top three positions in second and third place respectively.

However, neither Tamada, who took his only podium here last season, or home favourite Barros, who set his fastest lap after a farcical crash, were able to get close to the Spaniard's time of 1'48.618 as Gibernau maintained an 0.679 second advantage at the top of the timesheet.

"As far as I am concerned Sunday starts today and we have done a good job with our preparations for the race," said Gibernau, who is tied on points with Rossi at the top of the championship but lies second by virtue of an inferior win rate. "We are very focused on improving my performance and that of the bike. Provisional pole position is circumstantial - the important thing is that I have a good feeling and I have set a rhythm in the 1'49 on race tyres from the start. It will be a hard race because of the competition and the heat so I am satisfied to have set so many quick laps."

Despite single factory dominance on the front row there is a mixed bag on the second row where Rossi, in fourth place, is joined by Ducati rider Loris Capirossi and Kawasaki's Shinya Nakano in fifth and sixth respectively. Max Biaggi was seventh fastest ahead of Honda colleague Nicky Hayden, who moved up eight places on his last lap, and Suzuki rider Kenny Roberts, who had joined Gibernau and Rossi in the tussle for early supremacy before slipping to ninth.

Carlos Checa edged his way up to tenth place with his last lap on a difficult first day for Yamaha as Marco Melandri and Norick Abe qualified fourteenth and fifteenth fastest respectively. Further down the order, David De Gea provisionally qualified on the WCM after stepping in as a late substitute for the injured Michel Fabrizio.

Randy De Puniet led a trio of factory Aprilia riders at the top of the 250cc time sheets, smashing the pole position record by over half a second to hold off Manuel Poggiali and Sebastian Porto for the front slot on the provisional grid. Series leader De Puniet's time of 1'52.929 was 0.528 seconds quicker than Toni Elias' previous record and was enough to hold off Poggiali by the slim margin of 0.052 seconds.

Dani Pedrosa was the fastest Honda, edging out Elias for the final provisional front row slot in fourth place on his first visit to the Nelson Piquet circuit with the quarter-litre machine. Privateer Aprilia riders Franco Battaini and Sylvain Guintoli were sixth and seventh fastest respectively whilst their Campetella Racing team-mate Joan Olivé, who was fourth quickest in the morning session, failed to qualify after crashing on his second lap out.

Hector Barberá set a new pole record in the first qualifying practice for the 125cc class, setting two fast laps at the end of the session to secure top spot in a time of 1'57.740. Whilst Barberá was some 0.422 seconds clear at the top of the timesheet, just 0.083 seconds covered the next three riders, with Roberto Locatelli also producing a late surge to snatch second spot ahead of Jorge Lorenzo and Casey Stoner. Andrea Dovizioso, who leads the World Championship after six rounds, was sixth fastest.

Friday Qualifying Results