Despite the efforts of Moreira, no one was stopping Ayumu Sasaki on Day 1 as the Japanese rider was always one step ahead of the competition, dominating the session and defending the top spot. With ten minutes to go, the riders began to put the hammer down, threatening Sasaki’s number one spot. The ‘Crazy Boy’ did not sweat a bead, and responded to the flurry of fast laps in fine fashion with a 1:48.597.