Honda’s Tim Gajser has withdrawn from the French GP, unable to race due to pain in the shoulder he injured in the German GP last week. He will now return to Slovenia where he will undergo initial examinations which will determine the extent of the problem.

Gajser said: “I can not express how disappointed I am at not being able to ride today. It is not in my nature to give up and I promise all my fans that I will be back and stronger as soon as possible.”

With his team mate Evgeny Bobryshev also out with a broken collarbone, it’s a huge no-show for the HRC 450 team at Ernee.

World MX2 champ Jeffrey Herlings set the fastest time in the warm-up session from Romain Febvre, Glenn Coldenhoff, Arnaud Tonus and Tony Cairoli.