Toyota Top Second Free Practice

Toyota have once again set the pace in free practice at Silverstone. The #8 TS050 led the #7 in the time sheets for LMP1, while Porsche head the GTE-Pro ranks.

Toyota were fastest once again in free practice two claiming the top two fastest times, with a best of a 1:38:210. 0.234 of a second back was the #7 Toyota. You had to look a further two seconds slower to find the first of the Porsche 919 Hybrids in third and fourth with times of 1:40:500 and 1:41:201 for the #2 and #1 cars respectively. Porsche however did focus their efforts on long runs with Earl Bamber and Andre Lotterer completing a simulation of a race stint.

LMP2 was led by the G-Drive Oreca 07 with a time just 6.664 seconds off of the Toyota’s ultimate pace. Second place in class and sixth fastest overall was the #36 Alpine. Despite finishing up the time sheets, the session was not without issue for the Alpine team. Nicolas Lapierre had an off in the early stages at Brooklands, which brought out a full course yellow. The #13 Rebellion took third in class but eighth overall, with the ByKolles taking seventh overall, 7.3 seconds off of the Toyotas.

Porsche’s #92 car led the GTE ranks with Aston Martin a couple of thenths back. The #97 car ahead of the #95. The highest Ford was the #67 GT which was fourth fastest. The #51 Ferrari the highest of the Ferrari’s in sixth.

The #86 Gulf Racing UK Porsche headed GTE-Am just two tenths off of the slowest of the Pro cars #71 AF Corse Ferrari. Ferrari were second with the Spirit of race team. The Dempsey-Proton Porsche claiming the third spot in class.

Images: WEC-Magazin – James Clarke, Ton Kerdijk and Walter Schruff