Troy Bayliss topped the qualifying timesheets for the Ducati Xerox Team at the end of the first session at the Eurospeedway Lausitz in Germany. The Australian, who set a time of 1m38.569s, was a couple of tenths quicker than his fellow Australian, Troy Corser (Yamaha) and four-tenths ahead of the Japanese duo of Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) and Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha).

Troy Bayliss - Xerox Ducati
It's a pretty good start to the weekend. I'm feeling quite comfortable on the bike and basically we've just been putting some laps on the tyres to see how it looks. We've more or less done race distance at the moment and everything's looking fine. I was quite consistent but we want to try and improve a little bit tomorrow and see how it goes and we're hoping for some good weather of course. Compared to last year I think the track is a bit bumpier and it's actually slightly slower because at the first corner the guys here have stuck down 'witches hats' with tar so you don't cut the corner like we used to. This morning we used the same front and rear for the whole session and this afternoon we did exactly the same right until the end when we just put another fresh race tyre in to set the quickest time.

Troy Corser - Yamaha Motor Italia
Today has gone well with everything feeling pretty good. We've spent the day trying different set-ups and just making small changes with the engine balance. We've got some small adjustments to make for the tyres; the front is too hard and the rear is too soft at the moment but we're confident we can resolve it tomorrow. I've also been testing a new brake lever today, which feels different but I like it. It's good to be back on the bike again after the break and I'm pleased to find that we're further ahead today than I thought we'd be.

Yukio Kagayama - Alstare Suzuki Corona
The bike is not so bad here today and the only problems I had today was a small brake problem and some pain in my right knee. The brake problem happened when I was hard on the brakes and the bike did not feel as stable as I would've liked. But we will work on this small problem and I am sure that it will be better tomorrow. After Brands Hatch, I went home to Japan and while I was there, I saw a doctor about my knee and he told me that I had damaged some ligaments in my right knee. So I knew that it might get a bit sore once I was back on the bike. Today, I had a little problem when I tried to change direction quickly. So, I will have some physiotherapy and see how much I can improve it. At the moment, I don't think it's going to affect my riding too much and my intention is to forget about it, qualify well and fight for the podiums on Sunday.

Noriyuki Haga - Yamaha Motor Italia
Today I have worked on engine settings and balance, although the real focus has been tyres because the weather forecast for tomorrow is mixed and we need to make quick progress in that area. I've found a front tyre but Iâ've still got a couple of rear options to test. I've found a nice soft rear that'll do race distance but if it rains on Sunday thatâ™ll be no good. This morning was just spent getting used to the bike and riding again after a nice rest but I'm back in the saddle now!

Provisional Qualifying Results: