Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) started the inaugural Thai Round of the WorldSBK history the best possible way, as he topped the timesheets at the end of the first free practice session with a significant margin over nearest rivals Tom Sykes (+0.751s) and Jordi Torres (1.000s). The Ulsterman was pleased with the new track and this is how he describes it:

“It is really, really nice,” said Rea. “First of all it is just nice to ride on a new track and second it is very safe as there are a lot of run-off areas. The first part is like a ‘mini-Monza’, with the first corner being exactly like Turn 1 at Assen, although it leads to a long straight. The complex area in the final section is like a small Qatar. It is a nice circuit, the asphalt is quite smooth apart from turn 1, which is a bit bumpy.”

Despite the large lead in FP1, Rea reckons his opponents will bridge the gap soon. “It is not an easy track, I just learned it a little bit faster,” Rea added.