Gabriele Tarquini and the Castrol Honda team showed strong pace as the third round of the World Touring Car Championship season at the Slovakia Ring got underway, the Italian driver topping the timesheets in both of Saturday practice sessions ahead of qualifying.
The Honda Civics had a 1-2 in the opening session. Tarquini set a time of 2m12.215s, with team-mate Tiago Monteiro 0.397s off in second place.
Tom Coronel was quick in his BMW in third place ahead of RML Chevrolet duo Yvan Muller and Tom Chilton. Rob Huff was sixth in the best of the SEATs, while Alex MacDowall was the top Yokohama Trophy competitor in seventh in his Bamboo Chevrolet. Pepe Oriola, Fredy Barth and Darryl O’Young completed the top ten.
Tarquini was ever so slightly slower in the second session, this time posting a 2m12.228s. Muller was second, 0.183s behind, with Chilton in third, four tenths further back.
Huff was fourth ahead of Monteiro and O’Young, the top BMW and top independent. Norbert Michelisz was seventh in his Honda ahead of Fernando Monje, Coronel and Oriola.
