World Superbike Magny-Cours France Superpole qualifying results

In his final race as a member of the Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike team before he makes the move to MotoGP, Cal Crutchlow grabbed the sixth Superpole pole position of his career at the WSBK series finale at Magny-Cours, France. In the process of topping the third and final knockout Superpole session, Crutchlow also set the motorcycle lap record for the Magny-Cours circuit at 1:37.699 (just under the previous mark set by 2009 World Superbike Champion Ben Spies at 1:37.709). After setting his lap, Crutchlow stayed out for several additional laps on his qualifying tire and shadowed new WSBK World Champion Max Biaggi—suffering from a cold this weekend—just in case the Aprilia rider set a quicker time.

"It's nice to be going in to my last Superbike race before I head off to Moto GP with a pole position,” said Crutchlow. “It's a good reward for Yamaha, they've put their trust and faith in me for the next two years so it's good to deliver for them. I want to make it two race wins tomorrow for sure, it's taken a while to find race pace this weekend, maybe we've found something in the Superpole, we'll see tomorrow and I'm hoping for two good races. I sat behind Max, if he tried to go and take pole away I was going to try and get ahead of him into one of the hairpins and go faster."

Ducati Xerox’s Michel Fabrizio was fifth, followed by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda’s Jonathan Rea, who was only cleared to ride the morning of Superpole by the circuit medical staff (Rea crashed during the wet Superpole 2 session at Imola, fracturing the scaphoid bone in his left wrist, as well as his collarbone). Rea rode with a special lightweight cast over his wrist.

World Superbike Magny-Cours Superpole qualifying
1. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Yamaha 1:37.699
2. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Suzuki 1:37.768
3. Jakub Smrz (CZE) Aprilia 1:37.784
4. Max Biaggi (ITA) Aprilia 1:38.039
5. Michel Fabrizio (ITA) Ducati 1:38.082
6. Jonathan Rea (GBR) Honda 1:38.155
7. Carlos Checa (SPA) Ducati 1:38.252
8. Nori Haga (JPN) Ducati 1:38.421
9. Troy Corser (AUS) BMW
10. Leon Haslam (GBR) Suzuki