The two Free Practice sessions were thankfully quiet, with all 19 cars setting times throughout both the day and night runs. Fastest of the two sessions was Davide Rigon in the #11 Kessel Racing Ferrari 458 after a lap of 2:10.037 in the night session.
The majority of the second session was headlined by the #2 Black Falcon Mercedes of Hubert Haupt, Yelmer Buurman and Abdulaziz Al Faisal, which ran quickly all day. Haupt was the car’s quickest peddler, with a 2:10.417 which was good enough for second overall.
“The car feels great,” Haupt’s teammate Yelmer Buurman told DSC. “The SLS is really strong in Sector 1 and 2, we lose a lot of time to the other runners in the final sector so it’s all about getting the balance right.”
Third overall was the Black Falcon’s sister #1 car with Maro Engel setting a 2:10.757; 7 tenths off Rigon.
A surprising addition to the night session was the MRS Nissan, which has been confirmed as a non-runner for the remainder of the meeting, the team used the session as a chance to shake the car down after a shunt its the ADAC GT finale at Hockenheim.
The first Free Practice session of the event was held in bright daylight. It concluded with the #65 Kessel Ferrari of Moto GP legend Loris Capirossi finishing at the top of the standings after his partner Nicki Cadei set the 458’s quickest lap on his fourth lap behind the wheel. The Italian’s time was a 2:10.465.
“It was really easy to get back into the swing of things, as I’ve been here twice before,” said Nicki Cadei. “I went out on new tyres and it was great. I just have to work on the set up now, as I’m here to help the two gentlemen drivers in my car Alexis De Bernardi and Loris Capirossi.
“I suppose you can’t call Capirossi a gentleman after his performances on two-wheels over the years, but you know what I mean!”
Second in the Ferrari-dominated session was the #1 Black falcon Mercedes after Jeroen Bleekemolen’s time of 2:10.694. The #55 AF Corse Ferrari finished up third.
A car in the wars during both sessions was the Oman Racing Aston Martin. The team, who are flying the flag for the Britsh marque had an exhaust issue in the first session, which left mechanics scrambling to prepare the car for the nighttime running. The car then brought out Red Flags in the second session after a driver error from Ahmad Al Harthy.
“It was just one of those things,” Al Harthy explained. “The brakes failed on the exit of pit lane and I spun on the entry to the tunnel. The car is fine though, and I didn’t hit anything.”
Tomorrow’s running starts at 11am local time at Yas Island with the third Free Practice session.
Words & Photos: Stephen Kilbey
