Fontana and Jacoma set the pace as Porsches lead opening Hockenheim practice

Fontana and Jacoma set the pace as Porsches lead opening Hockenheim practice

Fontana set the session's best time – a 1m46.678s – on his sixth lap, putting the Ticino car just over a tenth clear of Wiskirchen’s best effort as Porsches locked out the top two spots. That result also handed Jacoma and Fontana a boost ahead of crucial weekend in the Pro-Am title chase, with the pair needing to make up ground to championship leaders Jean-Luc Beaubelique and Jim Pla, who were just 18th in this session aboard their Akkodis ASP Team Mercedes-AMG.

With Wiskirchen/Hartvig leading the way in the Silver Cup times, the returning Hofor Racing by Bonk Motorsport BMW of reigning GT4 Germany Gabriele Piana/Michael Schrey was third fastest – the duo going well on familiar turf.

The surprise of the session was a superb effort from Mikhail Loboda late on in the #37 W&S Motorsport Porsche 718 Cayman, lifting the Am class car to fourth overall. Loboda and team-mate Andrey Solukovtsev scored their first class win last time out at Spa, and look hungry for more.

Vincent Andronaco and Andreas Mayerl were fifth fastest in their re-liveried white/black Allied Porsche, ahead of new AGS Events Aston Martin crew Nicolas Gomar/Mike Parisy.

Another crew sneaking into the Pro-Am title fight are Saintéloc Racing’s Fabien Michal/Gregory Guilvert, who put their Audi R8 LMS seventh fastest overall. NM Racing Team’s line-up was led by Jakub Knoll/Filip Vava in eighth, with the team’s championship-leading #15 of Lluc Ibañez/Enzo Joulié finishing just 17th.

Two reworked line-ups rounded out the overall top 10, with Team Spirit Racing’s #5 Aston Martin Vantage of Nico Hantke/Will Tregurtha ninth and Drago Racing by ZVO’s Mercedes-AMG now featuring Theo Nouet alongside Robert Haub taking 10th.

With Loboda so high up the timesheets, Christophe Hamon and Michael Blanchemain were the next-best Am crew, their Team Fullmotorsport Audi finishing 22nd overall. Class leaders Mauro and Benjamin Ricci were third quickest in 30th overall.

PROVISIONAL RESULT, FREE PRACTICE ONE