Technically unrelated to the cymbal crash on 1st beat/1st bar, but related to the 1st bar Part Marker:

I am still on BiaB 2011.5, and, based on a little trial and error testing, found the following:

1. If the first bar has a repeat, you cannot remove the Part Marker.

2. If the first bar does not have a repeat, you can remove the Part Marker.