TF Sport charged to a pair of one-two finishes in free practices one and two, whilst Team Parker Racing and Barwell Motorsport continued to duel in preparation for the British GT Donington decider.
Despite all eyes being firmly focused on the two title contenders, Jon Minshaw and Rick Parfitt Jr had to settle for third and fourth respectively in free practice one, as TF Sport dominated the opening session by claiming a one-two. Jon Barnes‘ #11 Aston Martin comfortably cruised to the fastest time, four tenths ahead of lap-record holder Jonny Adam.
Despite Barwell Motorsport’s hopes of using the #6 Lamborghini as a rear-gunner in the championship battle, their hopes were damped by a frustrating practice one performance in which Liam Griffin finished a full two seconds back of Barnes’ benchmark.
An impressive surge of pace saw Richard Neary clamber to within one tenth of Parfitt Jr’s best effort, signalling the gradual improvement of the Team ABBA with Rollcentre Racing Mercedes and boosting their hopes of achieving a strong result at Donington.
JRM Racing‘s Nissan finished well down the pecking order on their much-anticipated return to British GT, propping up the GT3 field one spot ahead of Nathan Freke‘s slow attempt in the ill-performing Ginetta G55 GT3.
Barnes and Farmer fired to top spot in free practice one. (Credit: Nick Smith/TheImageTeam.com)
GT4 championship hopefuls Lanan Racing topped the field in class, beating Pro/Am category contenders Optimum Motorsport to the front whilst HHC Motorsport languished down in eight.
Knowing they’ll need to overhaul Will Tregurtha and Stuart Middleton‘s lofty 25-point lead, the five tenth advantage from the opening session will have given Lanan hope of storming to a sensational title comeback.
A similar story to practice one unfolded in the final session, as TF Sport once again shocked with more impressive lap times. A lightning lap saw Barnes once again tower over the rest at the front, whilst Adam continued his blazing early speed to begin free practice two, rocketing to the top of the standings by 1.2 seconds ahead of title contender Seb Morris.
A storming lap time from Adam Christodoulou split the two Aston Martins, igniting hopes of Team ABBA contending to snatch a maiden podium, after a turbulent season in which the Mercedes AMG-GT3 has been condemned to the midfield.
GT3 star man Phil Keen couldn’t deny TF Sport practice honours despite his best efforts, only managing fourth whilst Sam Tordoff surprised by finishing ahead of his Barwell ally.
With seconds remaining, 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Adam fired ahead of teammate Barnes by one thousandth of a second, as the unexpected TF Sport duel at the front continued to intensify.
Dispelling any doubts from a lacklustre showing in practice one, Tregurtha charged the championship leading HHC Ginetta to fastest time in GT4 ahead of Joe Osborne‘s #56 Tolman Motorsport McLaren 570S. Two teams with limited GT4 success so far this season claimed third and fourth, with UltraTek Racing Team RJN and Team Parker Racing registering surprising times in an unpredictable session.
Tregurtha and Middleton asserted themselves with fastest time in free practice two. (Credit: Nick Smith/TheImageTeam.com)
