Free Practice 1 : AF Corse lead the GT field

The LMGTE Pro class is always hotly contested and the 6 Hours of Silverstone is no exception with the five competitors in the category covered by one second. It was Gimmi Bruni, the pole position specialist, who set the fastest lap time with the Ferrari F458 Italia No.51 of AF Corse in 2:02.757, followed by the sister car No.71 driven by FIA-GT World Champion Andrea Bertolini, and Porsche No.77 of Team Felbermayr-Proton driven by Richard Lietz, and Aston Martin No.97 of Stefan Mücke followed by James Walker in Ferrari No.66.

The LMGTE Am class is also competetive, with the protagonists setting times very close to each other. As in LMGTE Pro, it was AF Corse who stood at the top of the time sheets with Marco Cioci (No.61) in 2:04'.080. He finished less than a tenth ahead of Stuart Hall and No.98 Aston Martin of Aston Martin Racing and four-tenths from the Ferrari of Krohn Racing driven by Niclas Jönsson.

As with the prototypes, the GT cars return to the track from 16:00 for a free practice session for an hour and a half.

Dave Davies.

Photo : TOWCESTER (NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, ENGLAND), SILVERSTONE, 6 HOURS OF SILVERSTONE, FRIDAY 24th AUGUST 2012, FREE PRACTICE.