Scott Redding ended the opening day at Le Mans 17th on the timesheet, despite a minor crash after losing the front in this afternoon’s second free practice session.

The 21-year-old Briton finished half-a-second off the time of former MotoGP World Champion and fellow Honda RCV1000R rider, Nicky Hayden, but remains confident that he can close the gap to the American in tomorrow’s free practice and qualifying sessions.

The Quedgeley-based rider said: “The crash this afternoon was a result of the issues we’re having with front grip here at Le Mans, but everything is okay.

"I’m already fairly happy with the set up of the bike here but, just like at Jerez, it’s taking us some time to dial in the electronics.

"Having said that, we’re a bit closer to our rivals here at Le Mans, so we just need to keep going in the right direction.

"Tonight we will look to find settings to improve my confidence in the front and, if we succeed, I’m sure I can be up there with the fastest open class Hondas tomorrow.”