Three-time race winner Takumi Takahashi was running a minute and 40 seconds clear of Jonathan Rea on the #10 Kawasaki as the clock hit the four-hour mark, with Nicola Canepa recovering from a sluggish start to put YART Yamaha in a provisional podium position.
But it wasn’t a straightforward first half of the race for the #33 works Honda crew that claimed pole position, with plenty of drama ensuing in the first few hours.
