The young Belgian and his 39 fellow competitors had to endure temperatures of 34C this afternoon and the forecast is the same for the rest of the weekend, so they all know they are going to be in for a tough time. Aussie Brendan Roberts (Ducati) finished on provisional pole, with Davide Giugliano (Suzuki) second and Alessandro Polita (Ducati) third.

Xavi - 6th, 1:40.927,
It was very hot out there and hard for all of us and it’s going to be the same tomorrow. Today my bike was not so bad, but I didn’t have a good feeling with it going into the turns. But I think we have a good base and I’m sure we’ll improve it tomorrow and be ready and faster for the race on Sunday. The only other problem is that the track is even bumpier than last year.

Friday qualifying
1 Roberts (Aus-Ducati) 1:40.443, 2 Giugliano (I-Suzuki) 1:40.465, 3 Polita (I-Ducati) 1:40.615, 4 Perotti (I-Suzuki) 1:40.853, 5 Pirro (I-Yamaha) 1:40.923, 6 Xavi Simeon (B-Alstare Suzuki) 1:40.926,