His best of 1’32.971 was just outside the track best, and almost three tenths of a second faster than four-time champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team).

A four rider Yamaha running flush saw rookie WorldSBK runner Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha) third fastest, with Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team), Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha) completing he top six.

Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team) placed his factory Kawasaki seventh, as he reacquainted himself with the Chang layout.

Eugene Laverty (Team GoEleven Ducati) another former Aprilia factory rider, was eighth on his V4R ahead of the leading Honda ofLeon Camier (Moriwaki-Althea Honda Racing Team).

Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was tenth, just over a second from Bautista, and top BMW rider on day one.

Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was 11th, suffering a technical problem in FP1 that lost him some track time.

By Gordon Ritchie

Photography GnG