Less than a second separated the top 12 riders on the timesheet after a bitterly cold opening day at the TT Circuit Assen. Michael van der Mark ended the day fifth fastest only 0.03 seconds from P1, while his Pata Yamaha WorldSBK teammate, Alex Lowes, finished 10th, despite crashes in both sessions due to the track temperature, which never exceeded 13 degrees Centigrade. GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK rider, Sandro Cortese, bounced back from a difficult FP1 to finish eighth in FP2, while Marco Melandri ended the day a disappointing 14th, after once again struggling to find a confidence inspiring set-up on his R1.