BMW Team RBM and Augusto Farfus has continued their inconspicuous start to the 2010 FIA World Touring Car Championship, after topping the times in the days first free practice session, with team mate Andy Priaulx backing Farfus up. Farfus set a best time of 1m24.578s with Priaulx just 0.012s behind, with a time of 1m.25.590s.
The session was cut short after debutant Harry Vaulkhard ended up in the tyre wall on the outside of the final corner after losing the back end of his bamboo engineering Chevrolet Lacetti.
The 30 minute session saw cars from Seat, Chevrolet and BMW all take turns topping the times, but it was Farfus who set the fastest time.
The Chevrolet Cruzes were also showing fine form, with Alain Menu and Rob Huff setting times that put them in 3rd and 4th overall, Menu's time being just under two tenths slower than Farfus's fastest time.
The top Seat TDi went to Zengo-Denison driver Norbert Michelisz, who beat the current and 2008 Champions when he set the fifth fastest time, just over three tenths slower than Farfus. Gabriele Tarquini was 6th fastest while Chevrolet's new signing, Yvan Muller, finished the session with the 8th fastest time.
The fastest Independent driver was another debutant, Hong Kong's Darryl O'Young, of bamboo engineering. O'Young's best time of a 1m25.797 saw him classified 12th overall and two tenths of a second faster than Wiechers Sport car of Mehdi Bennani.
It wasn't just Vaulkhard who had problems, a slippery kerb at Esse De Alta saw the Scuderia Proteam Motorsport BMW320Si of Sergio Hernandez end up in the barrier, and his session finished prematurely, and the Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW 320Si of Franz Engstler who had a moment after touching the kerb.
