As the only driver to drop below 1min 43 seconds, Matheus Leist set a precedent going into the Snetterton weekend. It had been championship leader and rival Ricky Collard who’d topped the first three sessions, but had no response in the evening.
The final session brought an end to a two-day testing schedule that was set to enhance the drivers skills and knowledge of the 2.96 mile track. With a 1:42.817, Leist was 0.288 seconds quicker than Collard in practice four.
On his return to the series, Harrison Scott proved he’d lost none of his speed by finishing the day third. Scott led the Autumn Trophy after an almost dominant display at Snetterton last year. He finished a mere 0.452 seconds off Leist’s best time in final practice.
Behind him, championship contender Thomas Randle and American Quinlan Lall rounded out the top five. Lall was a regular in the top six of almost every session over the two days. As for Randle, he’ll have to hope his race pace is better than his qualifying if he’s to close the gap in the table.
Another driver who’s been having a strong weekend is Tarun Reddy. The Indian was sixth ahead of Nikita Mazepin and Ben Hingley. Two drivers who will be disappointed though, are Enaam Ahmed and Toby Sowery. The usual front-runners were rarely able to challenge the leaders and rounded out the top ten on Friday.
The competitive nature of the field was once again proved, with all 19 drivers finishing within two seconds of each other. In the championship Leist currently trails Collard by 4 points.
