BARCELONA -- Reigning world champion Manuel Poggiali of snatched victory by less than a bike's length in a tight 125cc race at the Catalan Grand Prix on Sunday.

The San Marino rider used the superior power of his Gilera to edge past Daniel Pedrosa in the final meters of the 22-lap race, after the 16-year-old Spaniard had hit the front on the final lap.

Germany's Steve Jenkner finished a distant third.

Poggiali led off the grid, but dropped to fifth place after he was forced wide on lap three and Pedrosa grabbed the opportunity to hit the front.

The local rider managed to open up a gap of a little more than a second over Youichi Ui, but Poggiali gradually picked his way back up the field to overhaul the Japanese rider and challenge for the lead.

He then slipped past the Spaniard to take the lead at the start of lap 11 and the leading trio pulled away from the rest of the field, Reuters reported.

But Ui was thrown off his Derbi as it twitched on the entry into a high speed corner on lap 14, leaving the leading pair to battle it out for the victory.