Johann Zarco again shone at his home race, setting the fastest time Friday in practice for the French MotoGP Grand Prix, as reigning world champion Marc Marquez was only 13th fastest.
A year after winning at Le Mans in the rain, Zarco sparkled on a dry, sunny afternoon at the Bugatti circuit on his LCR Honda.
After finishing fourth fastest in first practice in the morning, the 35-year-old had the French fans on their feet as he was quickest in the second session with a time of 1 minute 29.907 seconds, 0.010sec ahead of Italian Fabio Di Giannantonio on a Ducati VR46.
Another Italian, Francesco Bagnaia, was 0.138 back on a factory Ducati.
"I'm really happy; the bike is much better and more competitive," Zarco said. "I've never felt this good on it this year...
"Starting the Friday in first position, doesn't give any points, doesn't give any podiums, but it just gives us even more hope or even more possibility to dream."
Spaniards Alex Marquez, Joan Mir and Jorge Martin took fourth, fifth and sixth.
Italian Marco Bezzecchi, world championship leader Alex Rins, Japanese rider Ai Ogura and Pedro Acosta rounded out the top 10, who advance directly to the 12-man shoot-out for the places on the first four rows of the grid in Saturday's qualifying.
Marc Marquez, on a factory Ducati, was nearly half a second behind Zarco and will have to try to secure one of the top two spots in Saturday's first qualifying session to progress.
"It was a difficult day right from the start," said Marquez.
"It was tricky to get a good feel for the bike. Even though things were getting better and better on the bike, I didn't manage to put in a very good lap."