It looked very much like a Porsche 1,2 for much of the second 90 minute Free Practice session, held in darkness here at CoTA until, into the final 30 minutes Lucas di Grassi banged in a pair of laps in the 1:47s in the #8 Audi, 1:47.684 enough to top the times almost to the end of the session ahead of Mark Webber’s best in the #17 Porsche (1:47.970) and the #18 919 Hybrid a further three tenths back.
That was until a last effort from Timo Bernhard leapfrogged the Audi with a 1:47.442
Both Toyotas meanwhile were in trouble with Race Control, Alex Wurz penalised twice for track limits, a pair of 5 minute stop-go penalties for the #2 the designated penance, the second taken by Mike Conway.
The sister #1 TS040 meanwhile got a 5 minute stop go for the same offence too, and further troule awaits post session with the message appearing on the screens that the car was under investigation for “driver behaviour towards an official in pit lane”.
The ByKolles CLM AER topped the LMP1 privateer times with a 1:54.669 to the very last lap of the session – that was when Nick Heidfeld popped in a last gasp 1:54.418 to claim the bragging rights.
In LMP2 Sam Bird was another last minute improver in the #26 G-Drive Ligier Nissan, 1:55.873 a half second up on Nic Lapierre’s best effort in the #47 KCMG Oreca 05 Nissan, the Frenchman having had an off into the gravel during the session.
The #36 Signatech Alpine rounded out the top 3 but was over s second further back.
In GTE the top 6 were within a second of each other, a sextet which included both Pro Ferraris and Porsches, the #97 Aston and the Am class leading #72 SMP Ferrari.
Fred Makowiecki led the way with the #92 Porsche banging in a 2:06.041, a tenth up on the #71 Ferrari, the 458 the jam in a factory Porsche sandwich in the top three.
Bertolini was the fastest AM class man, 4th fastest overall in GTE with a 2:06.547 in the #72 car, seven tenths up on Pat Long in the #77 Dempsey Proton Porsche with the #83 AF Corse Ferrari a further half a second back.
