Submitted by David Emmett on
Jonny Rea led the first session of free practice for the World Superbike class at Magny-Cours, putting in a scorching lap in the final minutes of the session, and displacing the surprising Fonsi Nieto on the DFX Corse Ducati. Rea put his Ten Kate Honda ahead of the Stiggy Honda of Leon Haslam, while Noriyuki Haga set the 3rd fastest lap, ahead of Carlos Checa. Nieto finally ended the session in 5th spot. Newly-signed Tech 3 rider Ben Spies set the 7th fastest time, four tenths slower than Rea and nearly two tenths off Haga's time. Freshly crowned BSB Champion Leon Camier went 17th fastest on his World Superbike debut, running 1.7 seconds behind his compatriot Jonny Rea, and a second off his temporary team mate Max Biaggi.
Results:
| Pos | No. | Rider | Bike | Time | Diff |
| 1 | 65 | J. Rea | Honda CBR1000RR | 1'39.984 | |
| 2 | 91 | L. Haslam | Honda CBR1000RR | 1'40.213 | 0.229 |
| 3 | 41 | N. Haga | Ducati 1098R | 1'40.222 | 0.238 |
| 4 | 7 | C. Checa | Honda CBR1000RR | 1'40.243 | 0.259 |
| 5 | 10 | F. Nieto | Ducati 1098R | 1'40.279 | 0.295 |
| 6 | 84 | M. Fabrizio | Ducati 1098R | 1'40.369 | 0.385 |
| 7 | 19 | B. Spies | Yamaha YZF R1 | 1'40.392 | 0.408 |
| 8 | 3 | M. Biaggi | Aprilia RSV4 Factory | 1'40.701 | 0.717 |
| 9 | 11 | T. Corser | BMW S1000 RR | 1'40.736 | 0.752 |
| 10 | 67 | S. Byrne | Ducati 1098R | 1'40.802 | 0.818 |
| 11 | 9 | R. Kiyonari | Honda CBR1000RR | 1'40.803 | 0.819 |
| 12 | 66 | T. Sykes | Yamaha YZF R1 | 1'40.867 | 0.883 |
| 13 | 71 | Y. Kagayama | Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 | 1'40.875 | 0.891 |
| 14 | 96 | J. Smrz | Ducati 1098R | 1'40.893 | 0.909 |
| 15 | 31 | K. Muggeridge | Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 | 1'41.022 | 1.038 |
| 16 | 25 | D. Salom | Kawasaki ZX 10R | 1'41.376 | 1.392 |
| 17 | 22 | L. Camier | Aprilia RSV4 Factory | 1'41.428 | 1.444 |
| 18 | 23 | B. Parkes | Kawasaki ZX 10R | 1'41.713 | 1.729 |
| 19 | 94 | D. Checa | Yamaha YZF R1 | 1'41.871 | 1.887 |
| 20 | 15 | M. Baiocco | Ducati 1098R | 1'41.891 | 1.907 |
| 21 | 111 | R. Xaus | BMW S1000 RR | 1'41.939 | 1.955 |
| 22 | 99 | L. Scassa | Kawasaki ZX 10R | 1'41.949 | 1.965 |
| 23 | 132 | S. Morais | Kawasaki ZX 10R | 1'43.098 | 3.114 |
| 24 | 77 | V. Iannuzzo | Honda CBR1000RR | 1'43.480 | 3.496 |
| 25 | 88 | R. Resch | Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 | 1'43.589 | 3.605 |
| 26 | 40 | F. Gentile | Honda CBR1000RR | 1'43.843 | 3.859 |
