Jack Miller put in a brilliant time to top the combined timesheets on the opening day of the French MotoGP at the legendary Le Mans track.
Day one was dominated by constantly changing weather conditions but the likeable Australian was untouchable on the damp but fast drying track in the opening practice session, setting an incredibly hot pace that at times left him with a commanding advantage of over three seconds.
With new asphalt recently laid on the historic 4.18km Bugatti Circuit, the improved smooth surface also offered exceptional grip levels in mixed conditions, and Miller's strategy to switch to slick Michelin tyres in the closing stages of FP1 was calculated to perfection.
A stunning late charge of 1'37.467 secured Miller a deserved top spot, with the 2014 Moto3 winner at Le Mans finishing over 1.2s clear of Marc Marquez.
Torrential rain during the lunch break soaked the track again in advance of FP2, but Miller was once again a leading protagonist throughout the second 45-minute session.
A recent wet weather tyre test that Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS were happy to participate in at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia had enabled Miller and his crew to fine-tune the rain set-up on his Honda RC213V machine.
And that extra wet track time proved crucial, as he ended FP2 in seventh place, having opted to run the entire session on the same Michelin wet tyres in an impressively fast stint that saw him complete just four laps short of full race distance on the same rubber.
“I am really happy to finish the first day here in Le Mans on top of the timesheets,” he said after the session. “It was the perfect way to bounce back from the disappointment of Jerez and I'm happy because I was fast in all different kinds of conditions. This afternoon was another positive session after the boost of setting the fastest time in FP1.”
“I used the same set of tyres throughout the whole of FP2 and did 24 laps on the Michelin wets and had good pace throughout. The tread did get a little bit low and I was aquaplaning a bit in the fast corners, so I decided to end the session a bit early. I'm sure I could have gone faster on a fresh set of rain tyres like some of the others did but didn't really feel the need after I got that banker lap in this morning.”
