Le Mans, May 25: World champion Valentino Rossi will be on pole position for Sunday's French Grand Prix after the second qualifying session at a damp Le Mans circuit. The wet track on Saturday (May 24) prevented any improvement on Friday's times among the top riders and the Rossi's best time in the first qualifying session of one minute 35.208 was enough to see off the challenge of Brazilian Alex Barros on a Yamaha. "I am very very happy for today as it is a different situation under the rain anyway we are fast, we worked very much on the setting for the wet, we changed some shock (absorbers) and tyres," said the Italian Honda rider after securing pole position for the second time this year and 23rd time in his career. Barros, who won twice at the tail end of last season, agreed with the championship leader after finishing 0.777 seconds behind his rival. Loris Capirossi -- riding with the arm injury he suffered in the last race in Spain -- and his fellow Italian Marco Melandri made up the rest of the front row with the third and fourth fastest laps respectively.


Sunday is the first time that Yamaha rider Melandri, who won the 250cc world title last season, will start on the front row of the grid in a MotoGP race.


Italy's Max Biaggi, Spaniards Carlos Checa and Sete Gibernau along with Japan's Tohru Ukawa will start in the second row.


Rossi, the winner in France last year, leads Biaggi by 14 points in the championship after winning two of the first three races.


Aprilia swept the front row in the 250cc class with San Marino's Manuel Poggiali on pole, followed by Italy's Franco Battaini and Randy de Puniet of France.


Italian Honda rider Andrea Doviziosi will start from pole for the first time in the 125cc race after his time from Friday proved to be the quickest over both sessions. Behind him is veteran Japanese rider Youichi Ui.


Leading grid positions for Sunday's motoGP race at the French Grand Prix after Saturday's final qualifying session: 1. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Honda one minute 35.208 seconds 2. Alex Barros (Brazil) Yamaha 1:35.985 3. Loris Capirossi (Italy) Ducati 1:36.019 4. Marco Melandri (Italy) Yamaha 1:36.161 5. Max Biaggi (Italy) Honda 1:36.169 6. Carlos Checa (Spain) Yamaha 1:36.240 7. Sete Gibernau (Spain) Honda 1:36.314 8. Tohru Ukawa (Japan) Honda 1:36.402 9. Shinya Nakano (Japan) Yamaha 1:36.512 10. Norick Abe (Japan) Yamaha 1:36.617


250cc leading positions: 1. Manuel Poggiali (San Marino) Aprilia one minute 38.229 seconds 2. Franco Battaini (Italy) Aprilia 1:39.324 3. Randy De Puniet (France) Aprilia 1:39.341 4. Fonsi Nieto (Spain) Aprilia 1:39.570 5. Toni Elias (Spain) Aprilia 1:39.802 6. Sebastian Porto (Argentina) Honda 1:39.936 7. Sylvain Guintoli (France) Aprilia 1:40.835 8. Naoki Matsudo (Japan) Yamaha 1:40.948 9. Roberto Rolfo (Italy) Honda 1:41.073 10. Anthony West (Australia) Aprilia 1:41.168


125cc : 1. Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Honda one minute and 43.565 seconds 2. Youichi Ui (Japan) Aprilia 1:43.743 3. Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Derbi 1:43.947 4. Casey Stoner (Australia) Aprilia 1:44.203 5. Alex De Angelis (San Marino) Aprilia 1:44.315 6. Daniel Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 1:44.437 7. Lucio Cechinello (Italy) Aprilia 1:44.510 8. Arnaud Vincent (France) KTM 1:44.522 9. Hector Barbera (Spain) Aprilia 1:44.570 10. Thomas Luthi (Switzerland) Honda 1:44.638


Bureau Report