> Aston Martins top both classes under sunny skies at Spa
> Result: FP1
Nicki Thiim set two times fast enough to top British GT’s opening practice session at Spa this morning, while Tom Canning ensured TF Sport and Aston Martin also paced the GT4 class.
Up front and under sunny skies, Callum Macleod’s early flying lap was immediately beaten by the Dane who subsequently lowered the overall benchmark to 2m20.890s.
RAM Racing’s Mercedes-AMG remained second until the final moments when Phil Keen’s Barwell Lamborghini lapped 0.2s shy of Thiim. That pushed Macleod down to third, while Balfe Motorsport’s McLaren driven by Rob Bell ensured as many different teams and manufacturers occupied the final top-four positions.
Jonny Adam and Adam Christodoulou completed the top-six ahead of Jonny Cocker whose Lamborghini was restricted to just six laps after an early water leak.
WPI Motorsport and JRM finished eighth and ninth, while debutants M2 Competition rounded out the top-10.
In GT4, Scott Malvern set the early pace before Tom Canning jumped to the top just before half-distance with 2m33.908s. The TF Sport Aston Martin he shares with Ash Hand would remain untouchable thereafter, albeit by just 0.065s from Team Parker’s Malvern.
Martin Plowman underlined Aston Martin’s early promise by finishing 0.2s shy of Canning and another tenth clear of Tolman’s Josh Smith who was best of the McLaren runners in fourth. His late improvement also pushed Invictus Games Racing’s Jaguar down to fifth following another strong effort from Matthew George.
Tolman’s second McLaren completed the top-six while Multimatic’s Andy Priaulx – who shares the #19 Mustang with Olympic legend Sir Chris Hoy this weekend – claimed the initial inter-team bragging rights over his championship-leading son, Seb.
This morning’s second 60-minute practice session begins at 11:20 CEST. Follow it live on britishgt.com/live-timing.