+Result: Free Practice 2, Spa
McKenzy Cresswell and Charlie Hart seized the advantage ahead of Qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps by emerging on top of a tight second Free Practice session in their Elite Motorsport McLaren.
Just fractions of a second separated the top runners across the second hour of running on Thursday, with Cresswell’s best effort proving enough to put the #78 McLaren Artura 0.1s clear at the top of the times.
Julien Apotheloz was the first to set a benchmark in the #110 SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm Mercedes-AMG before Cresswell went fastest for the first time. Gabriele Piana then rammed in a lap good enough to put himself and Thomas Rackl almost a second clear in their Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport BMW.
The pack’s efforts to chase down the M4 were halted by two short full course yellows, before the session went green again for the second half. With 20 minutes to go Cresswell hooked up a great lap, his 2:29.378s effort falling just shy of the fastest tour of the day, but it was enough to put him clear of his pursuers.
Piana and Rackl had to settle for second with the sister Silver Elite Artura shared by Yani Stevenheydens and Harri Reynolds third. Hudson Schwartz and Lucas Cartelle were fourth in the CRT-Sport Supra ahead of Gustavo Xavier and Onder Erdem in the #60 Razoon – more than racing M4, which also snatched the top Pro-Am time away from points-leaders Joakim Walde and Victor Bouveng, who finished right behind in their Schubert Motorsport M4. Daniel Drexel and Chris Salkeld made it three BMWs at the top of the class finishing third in the sister Razoon car.
Max Kronberg and Daniel Blickle fought back to the front in Am, with their W&S Motorsport Porsche beating the GR Sweden Supra of Mikael and Christoffer Brunnhagen and Julien Ripert’s Team Speedcar Audi to class honours.
Qualifying is scheduled for 10:25 on Friday.
