Reigning GT World Challenge Powered by AWS Sprint Cup champions Charles Weerts and Kelvin Van Der Linde topped the opening practice session of the season for the shorter format events at Brands Hatch this morning (Saturday).
The Team WRT BMW lapped the full Grand Prix circuit at the Kent venue in 1m23.260s, almost three tenths of a second clear of the next fastest GT3 car on a bright and sunny morning. That next nearest car was the Eastalent Racing Audi, piloted by Simon Reicher and Christopher Haase.
Bastian Buus and Ricardo Feller were third, following the late announcement that they would pilot Lionspeed GP’s Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO at the Kent circuit. Their German machine was just under a hundredth adrift of the Audi.
Next up was the Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG, which has been so potent around the GP loop’s woodland twists and turns in recent years. With Maro Engel and Lucas Auer once again at the wheel, it was a competitive start for a car with a great record in UK Sprint events.
The top five was completed by Daniel Juncadella and Chris Lulham, flying the flag for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, one place ahead of crowd-favourite Valentino Rossi and his co-driver Max Hesse in the next of the WRT BMWs.
The best placed Brit of any kind wasn’t a driver, but a car, with the Comotoyou Racing Aston Martin of Nicki Thiim and Kobe Pauwels lapping seventh. Behind that came the Boutsen VDS Porsche of Dorian Boccolacci and Morris Schuring and the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari piloted by Konsta Lappalainen and Matteo Cairoli. Dylan Pereira and Alex Aka completed the top 10 for Attempto Racing.
GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS, Free Practice 1, Brands Hatch
- Weerts/Van Der Linde, Team WRT, BMW M4 GT3 EVO, 1m23.260s
- Reicher/Haase, Eastalent Racing, Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II, +0.274s
- Feller/Buus, Lionspeed GP, Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO, +0.283s
- Auer/Engel, Winward Racing, Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO, +0.333s
- Juncadella/Lulham, Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO, +0.437s
- Rossi/Hesse, Team WRT, BMW M4 GT3 EVO, +0.456s
- Thiim/Pauwels, Comtoyou Racing, Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO, +0.466s
- Boccolacci/Schuring, Boutsen VDS, Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO, +0.527s
- Lappalainen/Cairoli, Emil Frey Racing, Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO, +0.533s
- Pereira/Aka, Tresor Attempto Racing, Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II, +0.568s
Click here for full results, live timing and streaming from this weekend.