Defending GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup champion Maro Engel ran fastest in Free Practice for this weekend’s season opening races at Brands Hatch.
The German set a 1:23.145 aboard the #48 Winward Racing Team Mann-Filter Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo in the closing minutes of the hour-long session, surpassing the 1:23.178 of Emil Frey Racing’s Thierry Vermeulen.
Vermeulen finished second overall, and fastest in the Gold Cup, in the #69 Ferrari 296 GT3.
Sandy Mitchell was third fastest aboard the #78 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2 with a 1:23.431, ahead of the #63 GRT – Grasser Racing Team Huracán of Jordan Pepper. Team WRT’s Charles Weerts and Garage 59’s Adam Smalley rounded out the Top 6.
Ezequiel Perez Companc led the Silver Cup in seventh overall, after setting a 1:23.513 in the #99 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II. It was a strong start to the weekend for the #99 Audi crew, with Perez Companc’s co-driver Alex Aka the second fastest driver in the Silver class.
Steller Motorsport got off to a solid start to its home event, with a 1:24.672 from Matisse Lismont good enough to put the #24 Corvette Z06 GT3.R eighth in Silver.
A single, brief Red Flag interrupted what was otherwise a very clean session, after Kobe Pauwels beached the #21 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo at Paddock Hill Bend with just over 20 minutes to go.
The other notable incident befell the #26 Sainteloc Racing Audi, after Lorens Lecertua grazed the wall at high speed late on after running wide on the exit of Turn 6. Both ends of the car were damaged, but Lecertua was able to drive the R8 LMS GT3 Evo II back to the pits.
Track action at Brands Hatch continues with Pre-Qualifying at 12:15 BST, ahead of Qualifying for the opening round of the Sprint Cup season at 16:50 BST.
Image courtesy of SRO/JEP
