Kawasaki's Tom Sykes seems quietly pleased with the qualifying disaster that befell World Superbike title rival Max Biaggi at Magny-Cours this afternoon because while the Kawasaki man bagged his ninth pole of the year, the Roman Emperor could only muster tenth.

It means the Aprilia man will start two rows behind the British charger and, as Sykes points out, it will prove difficult to fight through the spray should either or both races be wet in France tomorrow.

"This weekend is a bit like Portimao, I'm not a big fan of the place but the ZX-10R is working well here. I'm able to do what's needed with the bike and we have been consistent all weekend. The dry setting is very good and the Kawasaki seems to accept the Pirelli qualifiers very well," said Sykes.

"It certainly helps that Max is on the the third row of the grid. He certainly has more to lose than myself and especially if it is wet, he will have quite a bit of spray to deal with. He's an experienced rider but starting two rows behind me certainly helps."

Biaggi, meanwhile, says he is focusing on the race performance but looked somewhat dis-chuffed when he entirely failed to make it through to Superpole three this afternoon.

“I'm obviously a bit disappointed because I made a few mistakes in the fast lap with the qualifying tyre that kept me from staying in the top eight. I won't dwell on what happened. It is already time to think about what to expect tomorrow," said the Roman Emperor.

"There is a risk of rain tomorrow and that could shuffle the deck since we haven't done even one lap in the wet this weekend. The important thing will be to start well and stay focused. Then we'll see what happens. I'll ride my own race and try to stay out front without making too many calculations."