The Frenchman is the only rider to have broken the stranglehold that Krummenacher and Caricasulo have had on the top step of the podium with victory in Thailand, but Cluzel is keen to get his championship campaign back on track with another win this weekend in England.
Krummenacher was the best of the two Bardahl Yamaha riders today, finishing just 0.190s behind Cluzel in second place, while Caricasulo was an uncharacteristic fifth at the end of the opening day.
Isaac Viñales took advantage of previous track knowledge to finish ninth, while his Kallio Racing Yamaha teammates Thomas Gradinger and Loris Cresson were 11th and 17th, with GMT94 Yamaha rider, Corentin Perolari, 16th.