> Result: Free Practice 2
RAM Racing's new signing, Ulysse De Pauw, continued his impressive start to life in British GT by recording the fastest-ever GT3 lap around Donington Park in second practice earlier today. Further back, Freddie Tomlinson set the GT4 pace aboard Assetto Motorsport's Ginetta.
It was a relatively sedate start to the session, and especially so compared with FP2. Scott Malvern might have set the early pace but his best was six tenths down on his morning time, while Marcus Clutton's subsequent table topper only just dipped below 1m27s.
Instead, it took until one-third's distance before Sandy Mitchell produced a truly representative time. His 1m26.589s was a shade quicker than Malvern's morning benchmark but, as it turned out, no match for De Pauw who lapped three tenths quicker soon after. His subsequent efforts were just half a tenth and 0.2s slower.
However, those times were rendered obsolete by the Belgian's qualifying run 25 minutes from the session's conclusion when he set a blistering 1m25.942s to extend the RAM Mercedes-AMG's advantage over Mitchell to 0.6s.
2 Seas' Lewis Williamson underlined the Mercedes-AMG's potential by lapping just 0.091s slower with 15 minutes remaining, and then backed it up with another time good enough for second.
Mitchell's earlier time appeared sufficient to maintain Barwell's third place until a late flyer moved Malvern and Team Parker's Porsche in front. The 911 finished 0.4s behind De Pauw and 0.2s ahead of the Lamborghini, which ended up a shade faster than Euan Hankey who, like Malvern, saved his and 7TSIX's best 'til last.
Rob Bell also vaulted Fox Motorsport's McLaren into the the first half-dozen inside the final 10 minutes.
Team Abba Racing's Sam Neary and RAM's second Mercedes-AMG driven by Callum Macleod rounded out a top-eight covered by as many tenths.
GT4 was also a slow burner, Josh Miller and then Sennan Fielding spending time at the top early on before the faster times came in the second half of FP2.
Richard Williams initially increased the Steller Audi's advantage by 0.2s but a flurry of faster times around half-distance and then with a third of the session remaining lowered the bar considerably.
Reigning champion Will Burns was the first to dip below 1m35s and was soon joined in the same bracket by Fielding who slotted in 0.012s behind.
However, both would be deposed by Tomlinson who waited until the final 20 minutes before unleashing Assetto's potential. His 1m34.639s was a tenth faster than Jamie Orton's best, which was set moments later, as well as 0.4s quicker than the same Team Parker Porsche had mustered to top FP1, albeit in Seb Hopkins' hands.
Century's BMW and Steller's Audi were duly pushed back to third and fourth, while the two Aston Martins of Newbridge and R Racing rounded out the top-six.
Qualifying begins at 16:05 BST. Watch it live on SRO's GT World YouTube channel.