Pramac Ducati Rider Jack Miller set the fastest time Free Practice 2 at a damp Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans as Bradley Smith, who set the fastest FP1 time, crashed out at Turn 11.
The British Aprilia rider high-sided his bike on the entry to the turn but was able to make his way back to the pits safely.
Miller consistently improved on his pace throughout the session as track conditions eventually dried up allowing him to set a time of 1:34.133, three-tenths faster than Factory Yamaha rider Maverick Viñales in P2.
Takaki Nakagami originally looked set to take the top spot in the second half of the 45-minute session, the Japanese rider also bettering himself with each lap and placing himself ahead of the rest of the field.
But a low-side crash at Turn 11 in the last few seconds meant that he finished in P3, four places ahead of his LCR team-mate Cal Crutchlow, who briefly topped the timesheet with 5 minutes remaining.
Crashes also occurred for Factory Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso, the Italian low-siding into the gravel at Turn 3, and Aleix Espargaro, who also crashed at the same corner.
Brad Binder suffered a tumble when he low-sided his factory KTM t Turn 7 while on a flying lap, and as a result finished the day in P22, just below Aleix Espargaro and Tito Rabat.
Suzuki rider Joan Mir was another strong contender as he set a 1:34.515 at the beginning of the session before gradually improving his pace only to end up 12 fastest by the end of the session as faster riders took control.
Sitting outside the top ten are the KTM rider of Pol Espargaro, followed by Alex Rins in 11th as the championship leader Fabio Quartararo ends Friday running in 13th place.
