MotoGP World champion Valentino Rossi [Images] crushed Sete Gibernau's hopes of a first win this season by snatching the lead and victory from the Spaniard three laps from the finish of the Catalan Grand Prix in Barcelona on Sunday.

It was a fourth successive win for the Italian, his fifth in six races this season and an incredible 47th in 86 Grands Prix in the top class of motorcycling.

The Yamaha rider extended his lead at the top of the championship standings to 58 points over compatriot Marco Melandri, who finished third behind his Honda team mate Gibernau.

"It was a great race," Rossi told reporters. "Gibernau had the best rhythm of early laps and it was very fast and I needed to be at 100 percent to follow him, it was quite difficult.

"Then the conditions changed and I tried to overtake and then had a fantastic last three laps to win a fantastic result."

Brazilian Alex Barros, the only man apart from Rossi to have won a race this season, was fourth with American Nicky Hayden fifth and Italian Max Biaggi sixth as Honda riders dominated all but the most important position in the race.

Gibernau, who had been looking for a first win at his home circuit to turn around a miserable season, looked drained after his efforts in front of a bumper 105,698 crowd.

"I proved that I am still on the pace," said the 32-year-old. "We were pretty strong, we are pushing very hard to try and improve the year and I feel very comfortable."

POOR START

Rossi made a poor start and was sixth at the first corner as Melandri raced out in front, although several riders had a taste of being in the lead.

"In the first few laps everybody went crazy and wanted to stay in front it was very funny," said Rossi.

By lap six the race had settled down, however, with Gibernau in front, Rossi tucked in just behind and the rest of the field some way back.

The six-times world champion kept in touch and bided his time as the lap record tumbled and there was a certain inevitability when he pounced on the exit to the main straight as the riders started the 23rd of the 25 laps.

Rossi is now firmly on course for a fifth world title in a row with 145 points in the standings to Melandri's 87. Biaggi is third with 77 points and Gibernau fourth with 73.

Melandri, whose consistency has now brought him three podium finishes this year, was realistic about his chances of winning a world title in the top class to match that he won in the 250cc class in 2002.

"I'm not thinking about the championship," he said. "I'm expecting that to be between Valentino and Rossi."

There was local success earlier when Catalan world champion Dani Pedrosa fought back from a bad start to win his third 250cc race in a row for Honda and extend his lead in the title race.

Italian Mattia Pasini's comfortable victory in the 125cc race was his second of the season and enough for the Aprilia rider to take the championship lead by a point from Swiss Thomas Luthi.