Here's the thing about a truly dominant Friday: sometimes a machine and a rider just click instantly, leaving the rest of the field scrambling to catch their breath. Hakim Danish (AEON Credit – MT Helmets – MSI) was in brilliant form right from the opening session, laying down a brand new lap record in the morning before actually improving upon it during the afternoon running. It was an absolute masterclass in pace as the Malaysian chased down the top spot across every single minute of track time, lighting up the timing screens and showing everyone exactly how it is done.
Only one other rider could live with that blistering benchmark on this particular afternoon. David Almansa (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) managed to slot in right behind the pacesetter, with both men standing alone as the only competitors capable of cracking into the 2'04s throughout the entire day. Behind them, Championship leader Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) ended the day in third place, sitting just a quarter of a second behind the Malaysian in P1.
The rest of the top ten sorted themselves out with intense battles brewing for Saturday. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo), sitting second in the title race, claimed fourth position just ahead of Joel Esteban (LEVELUP-MTA) in fifth. Scott Ogden (CIP GreenPower) missed out on the top five by a minuscule margin of just 0.020 behind the Spaniard to take sixth, followed by Italian GP winner Brian Uriarte. Meanwhile, Jesus Rios (Rivacold Snipers Team) secured top Honda honours, while the Red Bull KTM Tech3 pairing of Rico Salmela and Valentin Perrone wrapped up the top ten.
Further down the order, the fight to avoid the drop into Q1 provided some late drama. Guido Pini (Leopard Racing) managed to squeeze through in fourteenth place with a very late flyer. Unfortunately, not everyone escaped the opening day unscathed. Veda Pratama (Honda Team Asia), Ryusei Yamanaka (AEON Credit – MT Helmets – MSI), Adrian Cruces (CIP GreenPower), Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing), Marco Morelli (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team), and Casey O’Gorman (SIC58 Squadra Corse) all find themselves forced into Q1. For Morelli and O'Gorman, the afternoon brought heavy impacts after suffering big highsides at Turn 6 in separate incidents, though both riders aim to make amends when Saturday arrives.
