Despite problems with traffic and getting held up by slower riders in this afternoon's timed qualifying session, Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Xavi Simeon still managed to set the second quickest time of the day.

The young Belgian experienced a difficult qualifying, but kept his head and set his fastest lap on the very last lap of the day. Italian Claudio Corti (Yamaha) took provisional pole at the 4.411 kilometre Magny-Cours circuit, with Xavi second, Brendan Roberts (Ducati) third and Ayrton Badovini (MV) fourth.

XAVI - 2nd, 1:43.688
That was a bit of a close one! For most of the qualifying session I was stuck in traffic or held up by riders getting in the way when I was trying for a quick lap. With only a few minutes remaining I was only ninth fastest, but I put in a big effort and did a fast lap - quick enough to end the day second! It was on my very last lap of the day! It's just as well, because my team would have been very angry with me, if I hadn't got on the provisional front row!
We've had some suspension and rear grip problems today, so to finish second quickest is quite good I think. However, we've got some ideas about what to do tomorrow and I am sure we can improve a lot. Whatever happens, I must be on the front row of the grid after qualifying tomorrow if I am to have any chance of a good result. I know that it doesn't look likely that I can take the title, but I am going to go all-out for the win, have some fun and see what happens to the others.

Friday qualifying
1 Corti (I-Yamaha) 1.43.065, 2 Xavier Simeon (B-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1.43.688, 3 Roberts (AUS-Ducati) 1.43.751, 4 Badovini (I-MV) 1.43.817, 5 Scassa (I-MV) 1.43.958, 6 Van Keymeulen (B-Yamaha) 1.44.018