+ Result: Pre-Qualifying, Barcelona
Charlie Hart set the pace in Pre-Qualifying at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, setting two laps good enough for top spot in the RAFA Racing by RACELAB McLaren Artura.
Much of the session was dominated by the #1 TeamFloral Ford Mustang, but when that ground to a halt and brought out the session’s only stoppage, it left the way clear for Hart to jump in and make the most of the remaining 15 minutes. Although his first effort was scrubbed for track limits, his second stuck and left the #812 RAFA Artura half-a-second clear.
Paul Petit (Team Speedcar Audi) and Gabriele Piana (Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport BMW) traded the early fastest times before Michiel Haverans went clear in the Mustang. His lap-four best stood for much of the session before the car stopped out on track with a technical issue in Nathan Vanspringel’s hands and brought out the red flags.
Hart took over from Callum Davies and pulled clear, even though his best was 0.1s slower than the morning’s Free Practice pace. Haverans/Vanspringel had to settle for second, ahead of Hadrien David and Jan Duran’s Matmut Évolution Toyota. Free Practice pace-setters Tudor Tuduraci and Sergiu Nicolae were fourth in the Willi Motorsport Audi.
Cindy Gudet and Gabriela Jilkova rounded out the top five and took the top Pro-Am time in their Matmut Supra. Gudet’s best put them just ahead of both Marc de Fulgencio/Branden Oxley’s NM Racing Team Mercedes-AMG and points leaders Stanislav Safronov and Aleksandr Vaintrub’s Mirage Racing Aston Martin in the class order.
Philippe Thalamy and Julien Ripert took control of the Am class early on in their Team Speedcar Audi and did just enough to hold off the W&S Porsche of Ismaeel Ellahi and Tim Horrell. Brother-and-sister team Reema and Ali Juffali were third in class in their Elite Motorsport McLaren.
Qualifying is scheduled to get underway at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya at 12:10 CEST on Saturday.