> Result: FP1
ERC Sport’s Yelmer Buurman topped a wet first practice session at Rockingham this morning while Tolman Motorsport’s Charlie Fagg stole the GT4 show by setting the seventh fastest time overall.
Phil Keen’s Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini led the way at half distance before Buurman set a best of 1m32.478s that would remain unbeaten thereafter. Indeed, the Mercedes-AMG factory ace ended up 0.188s clear of the #33 Huracan and a further half-second ahead of Nicki Thiim’s TF Sport Aston Martin, which improved late on.
The second half of the Dane Train was next up, Marco Sorensen another to improve late en route to fourth ahead of Rob Bell’s Balfe Motorsport McLaren and the Jetstream Motorsport V12 Vantage driven by Maxime Martin.
Light rain and chilly temperatures discouraged most of the GT3 teams from showing their true pace, which allowed the #4 McLaren 570S GT4 to make a rare appearance inside the top-10. Fagg set the class benchmark – 1m37.250s – early in the 60-minute session to lead a Tolman one-two-three in seventh, ninth and 11th overall.
Behind the Lewis Proctor/Jordan Albert and David Pattison/Joe Osborne McLarens came the first of Steller Motorsport’s Toyota GT86s driven by Sennan Fielding and Tom Canning, while a late effort from Ben Green helped Century’s #42 BMW M4 complete the top-five ahead of Callum Pointon and Patrick Matthiesen’s HHC Ginetta G55.
The morning’s second practice session begins at 11:45 local time.