If the initial conditions in Free Practice 1 this morning were tricky then the second session this afternoon certainly got the full attention of the drivers in the GTE classes, as they encountered treacherously wet conditions.
The 90-minute session initially started on a dry track but torrential rain soon arrived ensuring that the session was red flagged with 17 minutes to go due to the dangerous track conditions. All of the best times were set within the first 15 minutes of the session.
8Star Motorsport, running in a red livery this weekend, headed the LMGTE Am times with its Ferrari 458 Italia. Making the most of the early dry conditions, Paolo Ruberti set a best lap of 2:04.528 to also eclipse the top LMGTE Pro runners and ensure it was the best GTE time of the day. The Italian shares the car this weekend with fellow countrymen Gianluca Roda and FIA WEC debutant Matteo Cressoni.
Just behind the No.90 Ferrari was fellow LMGTE Am runner, Prospeed Competition, with the youngest driver in the field, Matthieu Vaxivière, setting a best lap of 2:05.223 in the No.75 Porsche 911 RSR.
Fastest in the LMGTE Pro category was Darren Turner in the No.97 Aston Martin Racing entry. The British driver is aiming to fight back from a tough 6 Hours of Fuji three weeks ago when a first lap collision ended a chance to replicate his and team mate Stefan Mücke’s Austin success last month.
There was just enough dry running at the start of the session to suggest that the track may suit Porsche more this weekend, with Patrick Pilet stopping the clocks at 2:06.537 to claim second in the Pro category. Like many others this afternoon, the two Porsche Team Manthey cars did not run in the very wet conditions.
With tomorrow's forecast brighter and drier, the times this afternoon are unlikely to have much bearing on qualifying in the afternoon. First though, fans will be able to enjoy a third, 60-minute session Free Practice session on Saturday morning, beginning at 09h30 local time.
Full results can be found HERE
