The fully resurfaced Le Mans circuit won praise for improved grip in both wet and dry conditions from all riders, but still claimed MotoGP’s Jack Miller, fastest after fitting slicks on a drying track on day one, was lucky to escape uninjured after running off at more than 300 km/h in FP4. He baled out and emerged merely bruised and shaken: his EG-VDS Honda slammed into the wall and was written off.

Miller, French MotoGP 2017

“I had some locking on the front through Turn One which sent me towards the wall – and when I saw I wasn’t going to stop in time, I let go,” he said. He suffered bruising to his right hand, and “a football-size” swelling on his right knee.

Miller was in good company, with not only both factory Ducati riders falling in the same session, first Dovizioso then Lorenzo; but with Marquez also falling in FP4 and again at the same first chicane in qualifying. Aprilia’s Sam Lowes and Jonas Folger (Monster Yamaha) also crashed in the same session.