Pepe Oriola and his Craft-Bamboo Lukoil SEAT León posted the fastest lap in a session that saw the first twelve drivers covered by only nine tenths of a second.
The young Spaniard jumped on top of the time sheet since the very beginning, improving consistently until he completed a lap of 1:27.697 that was not to be beaten. The only other drivers who had a spell on top were his team-mates Jordi Gené and Sergey Afanasyev. Gené was the first driver to break the 1:28 wall (1:27.892) before being demoted to fifth as soon as the others also improved, while Afanasyev was able to match Oriola’s provisional fastest lap of 1:28.286 halfway through the session. The Russian eventually improved to 1:27.934 that was good for the sixth position.
Oriola explained: “I did not get out to make a lap, actually I did a race simulation on used tires, so I am quite happy with the result. Not only the tyres held without any problem, but the pace was very good lap after lap. I was also lucky to have very clear laps. I also could experience that slipstream works a lot here, as I felt being towed also 200 meters behind the car in front.”
WestCoast Racing drivers Gianni Morbidelli and Kevin Gleason put in a great show in the latest moments, exchanging the second and third positions several times before Morbidelli’s 1:27.764 beat Gleason’s 1:27.828 by six hundredths. Stefano Comini was clocked at 1:27.889 and ranked in fourth.
Gleason reported: “It was a good session, I am happy, and it proves I am progressing time after time on this challenging track. It looks not very technical but it is tough and you really have to try a lot to find the best line, the one where grip and speed balance best.”
Newcomer Markus Östreich’s best time of 1:29.299 placed his Opel Astra in 13^thposition, while the second Campos Racing car of Fernando Monje did not post any timed lap due as the team was still working on mapping the new engine, following the change after yesterday’s test.
TCR drivers will make their next appearance in the second Free Practice at 12.00 local time.