Factory Aprilia man Eugene Laverty secured another World Superbike front-row start for tomorrow's two-race finale at Magny-Cours but says it was unexpected as he thought he only had second-row pace.

The Toomebridge man is wary of the weather tomorrow but says whether it is wet or dry, he needs will to find a couple of tenths in morning warm-up in order to stay with the pace of Tom Sykes and Carlos Checa.

“To be honest I didn't expect to take third place. After the practice session I thought I would be battling for a spot on the second row. For the races tomorrow we'll be a bit at the mercy of the weather which could change everything. In any case we still need to shave a few tenths of a second off our race pace in order to battle with the front runners," said Laverty.