Moto2

• Marc Marquez starts from pole for the third successive race. Marquez has been on the podium in the last 14 races that he has finished, starting with a win at Le Mans last year.

• In second place on the grid is Thomas Luthi, who won twice at Le Mans when competing in the 125cc class.

• Taking third place on the grid, and making it three former GP winners at Le Mans on the front row, is Pol Espargaro who won the 125cc French GP in 2010. Espargaro has finished on the podium in each of the first three Moto2 races of 2012.

• Heading the second row of the grid is Scott Redding, who has not had a top ten finish in his previous four GP starts at Le Mans.

• Fifth-fastest qualifier Andrea Iannone crashed out of the Moto2 race last year at Le Mans on the first lap.

• Former Moto2 world champion Toni Elias has qualified in tenth place on the grid. Elias has had two GP victories at Le Mans; the 250cc race in 2003 and the Moto2 race in 2010.

• In addition to the riders mentioned above, three other former GP winners at Le Mans are on the starting grid; Julian Simon in 11th place on the grid won the 125cc race in 2009, Yuki Takahashi in 20th place won the 250cc race in 2006 and Mike di Meglio the 125cc race winner in 2008 has qualified 23rd fastest.

Moto3

• Maverick Viñales starts on pole for the first time since the German Grand Prix last year. Viñales won the 125cc GP last year at Le Mans, in just his fourth start.

• Efren Vazquez is in second place on the grid – his best qualifying result so far in his Grand Prix career. Vazquez finished third last year at Le Mans, one of only two podium finishes he achieved in 2011.

• Miguel Oliveira has qualified in third place on the grid for the third race in succession. Fifth at the opening race of the year in Qatar is his only point scoring result of the year and still his best ever GP result.

• Jakub Kornfeil heads the second row of the grid, which is his best qualifying result in GP racing, one place higher than his previous best which was at the second race of the year at Jerez.

• Fifth on the grid is Alexis Masbou, who has not had a top-ten finish from his previous nine appearances at the French GP.

• Sandro Cortese is sixth on the grid, the first time this year he has failed to qualify on the front row. Following his victory in Portugal, Cortese will be aiming to take back-to-back wins for the first time in his GP career.