Max Coates topped the timesheets during official Renault UK Clio Cup testing at Silverstone as part of the championship’s media day.
From the confirmed eighteen car entry only thirteen drivers hit the track over the course of the day, with three forty-five minute sessions taking place in wet conditions around the National circuit.
Series debutant Michael Epps would top the timesheets in the opening two sessions, however he was beaten in the final session by fellow former BTCC racer Coates.
The Yorkshireman’s best effort of 1m 08.763 seconds would see him finish fastest by just over a quarter of a second, while Epps was nearly two tenths ahead of the next driver.
That was three-time champion Paul Rivett, who was followed in the top six by Andy Wilmot, James Dorlin and Nathan Edwards, who edged out WDE team-mate Lee Pattison by 0.010s.
All of the thirteen drivers on track would post their best times in the final session of the day, with Brett Lidsey, Dan Zelos and Sam Osborne rounding out a top ten split by 0.892s.
In fact, the top twelve cars were split by less than a second with James Colburn and Nic Hamilton in the bracket, though Jeff Alden missed out in his Matrix Motorsport car.
The full testing times can be read by clicking here, while confirmation of the provisional 2018 entry list can be found here.
