Former world champion Valentino Rossi will start on pole position for the Catalan MotoGP after scorching around the 4.7km circuit in a new best lap time of 1:41.840 in qualifying today.
The 28-year-old Yamaha rider, first on the grid for the third time this season, will be joined on the front row by Frenchman Randy de Puniet and home favourite Dani Pedrosa.
De Puniet, still suffering from a swollen knee after a crash in Italy last weekend, claimed his best grid position since moving up to the MotoGP class with a blistering ride on his Kawasaki, while Pedrosa looked to be in sharp form on his Honda.
Championship leader Casey Stoner of Australia leads off the second row on his Ducati, followed by the improving Suzuki rider John Hopkins and Rossi's team mate Colin Edwards.
World champion Nicky Hayden is on the third row, together with fellow Honda riders Toni Elias and Marco Melandri.
Rossi, who notched up a sixth successive win at the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello last weekend, has won five of the last six premier class races at the Circuit de Catalunya.
But he will need to break this season's pole position hoodoo if he is to claim a sixth win as no rider has won a race this season after starting at the front of the grid.
'It's always a great satisfaction to get the pole position and it is important,' Rossi told Spanish state television after taking the 39th premier-class pole of his career.
'But I know the race will be very tough tomorrow. There is an extra motivation for Dani (Pedrosa) because he is in front of his home crowd and I'm sure it will be a great battle.'
The Italian, who has won seven world championships in all categories, is nine points behind Stoner in this season's standings and 24 clear of Pedrosa who finished second behind him at Mugello.
European Moto GP Qualifying Standings
1 V Rossi (Italy) Yamaha 1:41.840
2 R de Puniet (France) Kawasaki 1:41.901
3 D Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 1:42.002
4 C Stoner (Australia) Ducati 1:42.117
5 J Hopkins (US) Suzuki 1:42.233
6 C Edwards (US) Yamaha 1:42.283
7 N Hayden (US) Honda 1:42.522
8 T Elias (Spain) Honda 1:42.607
9 M Melandri (Italy) Honda 1:42.623
10 A Hofmann (Germany) Ducati 1:42.860
