Rob Huff leads the field in Macau Free Practice
Rob Huff emerged as the fastest driver in today’s Free Practice sessions for the WTCR event at Macau.
In the second session, Huff drove his Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagen Golf GTI to complete a lap of the Guia circuit in 2:29.422 that was four tenths slower compared to his own record lap of 2:29.040 he set in last year’s Qualifying.
The fastest times were set during the second session. Andy Priaulx was second fastest at the wheel of a Cyan Racing Lynk&Co 03 with a lap of 2:29.675, but nobody else was able to make a lap under the 2:30 mark. Jean-Karl Vernay (2:30.081 – Team WRT, Audi RS 3 LMS), Yann Ehrlacher (2:30.234 – Cyan Racing, Lynk&Co), Frédéric Vervisch (2:30.237 – Comtoyou Racing, Audi RS 3 LMS), Thed Björk (2:30.352 – Cyan Racing, Lynk&Co 03), Nicky Catsburg (2:30.440 – BRC Lukoil Racing, Hyundai i30 N) and Tiago Monteiro (2:30.444 – KCMG, Honda Civic) filled the positions between third and eighth.
Norbert Michelisz (BRC Squadra Corse, Hyundai i30 N) set the pace in the mornings’ session with a lap of 2:30.460, ahead of Yvan Muller (2:30.599 – Cyan Racing, Lynk&Co 03), Vernay (2:30.751) and Huff (2:30.894).
The current championship leader Esteban Guerrieri struggled with the pace; he ranked 23rd in the first session with a gap of 2.8 seconds and 22nd in the second session with a gap of 2.6.
The red flag was waved three times over the two sessions. FP1 was disrupted once when Gabriele Tarquini crashed his Hyundai at the Police bend and FP2 twice, first after Jim Ka To’s Honda hit the wall at the Solitude Esses and then when Billy Lo’s Audi spun at the Fishersmen’s bend.
WTCR competitors will hit the track again tomorrow for the Qualifying; the first session that determines the grid for Saturday’s Race 1 is scheduled to start at 8:50 local time and the second session for Sunday’s Races 2 and 3 at 13:35 local time.
