Gibernau leads Movistar one-two with home pole.

Sete Gibernau has led a Movistar Honda one-two during qualifying for Sunday's Catalan Grand Prix; the troubled world championship contender outpacing team-mate Marco Melandri by just 0.053secs to secure a valuable home pole.

Colin Edwards had set the pace in the first Friday morning session before Melandri took control; the impressive young Italian leading the afternoon hour then continuing that form on Saturday by finding a further 0.461secs to lead nearest rival, Nicky Hayden, by 0.153secs at the completion of the third and final session prior to qualifying.

Melandri's 1min 42.856secs morning best was within 0.26secs of Gibernau's 2004 pole time - suggesting we could see a possible 1min 41secs with the aid of qualifying tyres this afternoon - but with the FP3 top eight (Melandri to Rossi) separated by just 0.5secs, pole was expected to be a closely fought affair.

The qualifying session began, as usual, with all riders on race rubber and by the halfway stage then fastest man Edwards was still 0.304secs from Melandri's morning time while Rossi, Melandri, Gibernau, Biaggi, Hayden, Barros, Capirossi, Checa and Nakano completed the provisional grid top ten.

Thereafter, Edwards continued to lead the field until man of the moment Melandri hit the top with 20-minutes to go - and became the first rider to break into the 1min 42secs in the process. Rossi would close to within 0.058secs of his fellow Italian moments later, but while the world champion pitted Gibernau looked to be the first to fit a qualifying tyre as he held a 0.4secs advantage heading into the final sector.

Sete held it together - and even increased his advantage over Melandri through the final fast right handers that complete the lap - to record the fastest lap of the weekend so far and take a solid 0.659secs lead over his team-mate, with just over ten-minutes to go under the baking Barcelona sun.

Melandri would soon fight back, edging to within 0.36secs of home hero Gibernau, while Hayden and Loris Capirossi joined the 1min 42secs club as the pair pushed Rossi back to fifth just as the final five-minutes approached.

Rossi would pit soon after for his final qualifying tyre, but while the Gauloises Yamaha hero was getting up to speed arch-rival Max Biaggi knocked him down a position as the Roman put his Repsol Honda third.

Valentino would pinch a front row start back in the last two-minutes, but the Movistar Honda one-two - and the gap between them - remained unchallenged, with the only rider capable of depriving Gibernau being Melandri himself.

Marco closed to within just 0.053secs of the #15 on his penultimate lap, by which time third placed Rossi was already back in the pits, but Sete was also on track ready to defend his pole. Ultimately he didn't have to as Melandri aborted his lap, the best of his tyre having already been used, while no-one else was able to threaten the flying pair of blue RCVs up front today - leaving Sete to celebrate with the considerable home crowd.

Rossi would get closest to the pair, lapping 0.386secs slower than Sete, while Biaggi will head row two having been left just 0.033secs from the #46 - despite, or maybe because of, leaving the pits too late for a final pole attack. Max still went out, presumably for a practice start, but ended up running off track.

Biaggi's team-mate Hayden will start alongside the #3 tomorrow, with the lead Ducati of Loris Capirossi claiming sixth on the grid with a last lap effort. Meanwhile, Edwards wasn't able to cash in on his free practice form and will line-up seventh. He will be joined on the third row by Carlos Checa and Alex Barros.

The expected Tamada challenge also failed to materialise and the eye-catching Konica Minolta Honda rider was left at the tail of the top ten, just ahead of the top Suzuki of John Hopkins and the lead Kawasaki of Shinya Nakano.

Full times to follow...

Qualifying:

1. Gibernau
2. Melandri
3. Rossi
4. Biaggi
5. Hayden
6. Capirossi
7. Edwards
8. C. Checa
9. Barros
10. Tamada
11. Hopkins
12. Nakano
13. Roberts
14. Hofmann
15. Bayliss
16. Xaus
17. Rolfo
18. D. Checa
19. Byrne
20. Ellison
21. Battaini