Porsche on top in First Free Practice

Porsche once again set the free practice pace, this time in Brazil. The number 20 car of Hartley, Webber and Bernhard heads a Porsche 1-2 in Sao Paulo.
14104455304_7469d142bc_oIn LMP1 it is the number 20 Porsche that has set the pace ahead of the #14 Porsche in second position, just 0.339 off of the sister car’s pace. Third fastest was that of the 9 time Le Mans winner, Tom Kristensen. A strong position for the Audi at this stage in the weekend. Mr Le Mans is determined to bow out of professional racing in style this weekend. You have to look all the way down to fourth to find the Toyota of newly crowned World Champions Sebastian Buemi and Anthony Davidson, 1.131 seconds off the pace. The #8 crew set the least amount of laps of anyone in the LMP1 class. Next up in fifth position was the outgoing champions in the #1 Audi and rounding out the hybrid runners was the #7 Toyota, 1.653 seconds off the pace. The number 2 Audi and 14 Porsche both set the most amount of laps in class. The #12 Rebellion lead the trio of LMP1-L cars ahead of the #13 sister car and the #9 Lotus CLM.

The LMP2 class was headed by G-Drive Racing by 1 second ahead of the #27 SMP Racing ORECA. KCMG set the most laps in the class, setting a total of 52 as well as setting the third fastest time, just 1.2 seconds off of the out right class pace. The #37 SMP Racing ORECA came in slowest in class with the least amount of laps set.
13960589776_f796100223_kGTE-PRO saw a Ferrari 1-2 with the #71 car of Rigon and Calado leading the #51 car of Bruni and Vilander by 0.1 of a second. Fred Makowiecki and Patrick Pilet’s Porsche was third fastest in class only 0.4 seconds off the pace as well as completing a strong 50 laps, more than anyone in class. Fourth and fifth in GTE-PRO were the two Aston Martins. Mucke and Turner’s #97 car lead the #99 car by just 0.01 of a second. Sixth fastest was the #91 Porsche. Lietz, Tandy and Bergmiester have 0.7 seconds to find in FP2 to work their way to the top of the class.

Normal service was resumed in GTE-AM with who else but the #95 Dane train Aston Martin setting the fastest time 0.2 seconds ahead of the second place car. Segal, Pier Guidi and Emerson Fittipaldi confirmed that they will be right at the front on the GTE-AM fight by setting the second fastest time in the #61 car. the #81 AF Corse Ferrari rounded out the top 3 in class, half a second behind their team mate’s car. Aston Martin claimed fourth spot with the #98 car, 0.7 seconds off of the class pace set by their team mates. 8 Star Motorsports finished fifth in class 0.9 seconds off of the class lead in their Ferrari 458. The Prospeed Competition Porsche 911 were 6th in class 1.3 seconds off the pace. Proton Competition rounded up the field a further tenth off but did manage to clock up a strong 48 laps on circuit.

Images – Walter Schruff