Ben Barnicoat was the fastest driver in the first free practice session of the British GT Championship at Snetterton, as Optimum Motorsport topped both the GT3 and GT4 categories.
The Derbyshire-based driver set a benchmark lap time of 1:46.582 behind the wheel of the #77 McLaren GT3 Evo, leading a tight session in which the top 12 cars finished within a second.
Hugo Cook’s #63 Barwell Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 driver was 0.083 seconds behind with a 1:46.665 lap time, as Marcus Clutton claimed third in the #67 Orange Racing by JMH McLaren with a 1:46.700.
Championship leader Jarrod Waberski was fourth quickest in the #78 Barwell Lamborghini and topped the GT3 Silver-Am category after his lap time of 1:46.730.
McLaren factory driver Dean Macdonald put the #69 Orange Racing by JMH McLaren in fifth with a 1:46.754, with the team having performed an engine change overnight.
Ben Green was sixth in the #18 2 Seas Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo with a 1:46.861, followed by the #90 Optimum McLaren of Jack Brown, who was second in the GT3 Silver-Am order with a 1:46.950.
Charles Clark in another Silver-Am entry, the #44 Century Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 EVO, was eighth (1:47.027) ahead of Martin Plowman’s #9 Paddock Motorsport McLaren in ninth (1:47.052).
Rodin Motorsport’s Josh Buchan rounded out the top 10 in the #13 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo with his 1:47.256 lap time.
In the GT4 category, George Gamble began his second-ever British GT appearance on a positive note after going quickest in the #59 Optimum McLaren Artura GT4, with a 1:56.127.
Jessica Hawkins put the #21 MK Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo second quickest after her lap time of 1:56.467.
Toro Verde GT’s #42 Ginetta G56 GT4 Evo, which topped the GT4 Pro-Am sub-classification, followed next after Jack Mitchell’s 1:56.542.
Paddock Motorsport’s #84 McLaren went fourth when Blake Angliss set his time of 1:56.571, as the #74 Innovation Racing Ginetta of Hadley Simpson rounded out the overall GT4 top five in 1:56.735.
Pre-qualifying continues the action with another 1-hour session at 11:55 local time.
Image courtesy of JEP/SRO
