AKKA ASP ace Raffaele Marciello topped free practice at Valencia as the Mercedes-AMG runners continued their fine form at the 4km Spanish circuit. The Italian driver led the way in yesterday's official test and was in control once again as the weekend began in earnest.
The first half of the 80-minute session was reserved for Bronze and Silver drivers. Charles Weerts posted the first quick time before Ricardo Feller (#14 Emil Frey Racing Lamborghini) and then Ezequiel Perez Companc (#90 Madpanda Motorsport Mercedes-AMG) both demonstrated their speed by going to the head of the order.
When the full field was able to run Marciello jumped to the top of the times with a 1m32.256s. Weerts was able to improve on his earlier lap, but was still 0.125s shy of the new leader. Rik Breukers moved into third overall, posting a 1m32.382s in the #90 Mercedes-AMG and topping the Silver Cup classification in the process. He was followed by class rivals Feller and Oscar Tunjo (#7 Toksport WRT Mercedes-AMG).
Barwell Motorsport prevented a Mercedes-AMG sweep by leading the Pro-Am order. Henrique Chaves was 15th overall in the car he shares with Miguel Ramos, six spots clear of his closest rival. All of the 27 cars competing in the Sprint Cup finale were on-track during the session, which ran without stoppages and in dry, humid conditions.
A tight two-day schedule will see the field venture out once again for Pre-Qualifying at 11:45, while Qualifying takes place at 15:30 and the season-ending races run on Sunday at 10:00 and 14:45. Each session will be broadcast live on the official series website and social media platforms, as well as the GTWorld and GTWorld Français YouTube channels.