+ Result, Free Practice, Monza
Team Speedcar drivers Robert Consani and Benjamin Lariche continued their strong form at Monza by setting the pace during Free Practice aboard their #3 Audi R8 LMS GT4.
The pair, who were also race winners at the Italian track last season, each took a turn at the top of the times during the opening hour of running on Friday, before Consani put the car comfortably clear with his best later in the session. Jon Lancaster and Rafael Martinez led the way in a busy Pro-Am class, while Andy Cantu and Charles Dawson set the fastest Am time in their NM Racing Team Mercedes-AMG.
A total of 49 cars took to the track when the session went green – two down on the full entry after the #37 W&D Racing Team BMW was withdrawn following a crash in Thursday testing, and the #50 SVC Sport Management Toyota was undergoing repairs after its own testing incident.
Leo Pichler set the early pace in the #22 Allied-Racing Porsche he will share with Suleiman Zanfari this weekend, before Raphael Rennhofer went fastest following his switch to a Wimmer Werk Porsche. Lariche broke the Porsche streak by first putting the Audi on top mid-session before handing to Consani for the second half.
Lariche’s best lasted until Emil Heyerdahl took the #92 Wimmer Werk Cayman over from Rennhofer and went quickest, only for Pichler to strike back. But, once Consani was up and running, his best effort with 14 minutes remaining moved the Audi ahead once and for all, ending the session 0.2s clear.
Pichler/Zanfari held second from Rennhofer/Heyerdahl while Ivan Ekelchik and Nicolaj Moller-Madsen completed a strong session for Wimmer Werk in fourth. The RAFA Racing Team McLaren of Jem Hepworth and Cameron Lawrence was fifth, ahead of Alex Papadopulos and Lluc Ibañez in the #15 NM Racing Team Mercedes-AMG.
The RAFA team enjoyed a strong start, with Martinez and Lancaster carrying on their impressive form from Hockenheim to set the Pro-Am pace. Podium finishers last time out, Lancaster’s late best put the car top of the class ahead of the Nova Racing Porsche shared by Edvin Hellsten/Daniel Nilsson and the championship-leading Mirage Racing Aston Martin of Stanislav Safronov/Aleksandr Vaintrub.
New entry LEMA Racing was a strong fourth with its Mercedes-AMG driven by Elias Niskanen and Mark Kastelic with the Porsches of JSB Competition (Julien Briché/Jean Laurent Navarro) and W&S Motorsport (Max Kronberg/Finn Zulauf) completing the top five.
After a winning start to their partnership at Hockenheim, Cantu and Dawson continued on top in Am in the #16 NM Racing Team Mercedes-AMG, with both drivers impressing as the car rocketed clear of its class rivals. GPA Racing’s Aston Martin of Florent Grizaud/Kevin Jimenez was second ahead of Jean-Mathieu Leandri driving solo in Chazel Technologie Course’s Alpine. Class championship leaders, Schumacher CLRT’s Pascal Huteau/Laurent Hurgon, were fourth in their A110 GT4 Evo.
Pre-Qualifying is set to take place at 15:20 CEST.