Alain Menu stormed to pole position around the streets of Pau. He squeezed in late lap to improve his own time before the session was stopped due to a spectacular crash by Augusto Farfus.
Yvan Muller will line up alongside him. Farfus had taken third but had already incurred a ten-place grid penalty at the previous round. Tiago Monteiro, fourth, will be promoted in his place.
Joint championship leader Andy Priaulx took seventh and will be the highest BMW starter on the tight street circuit. But team mate and co-leader Jorg Muller is down in 17th.