Porsche heads Toyota in first track action at COTA

The Headlines from FP1 at COTA…….

• Earl Bamber sets fastest lap of 1m48.124s in No.2 Porsche 919 Hybrid to top first 90-minute session
• The Kiwi’s best time is 0.145s quicker than reigning champion car Nick Tandy, André Lotterer and Neel Jani.
• Tandy sets best time of 1m48.269s in No.1 Porsche 919 Hybrid
• Stéphane Sarrazin sets third best time on his return to Toyota Gazoo Racing with a late 1m48.584s lap in No.7 TS 050 HYBRID
• No.8 Toyota Gazoo Racing car driven by Sébastien Buemi places fourth
• Buemi loses time in session after slow lap but car returns quickly to the action
• Second of the Toyota TS 050 HYBRID entries is fourth
• Teams spend large part of session testing rubber in hot conditions in preparation for Saturday’s race
• LMP2 category sees top four covered by less than a second
• Alex Lynn sets best time of 1m55.399s in G-Drive Racing ORECA-Gibson
• Sister car entered under TDS banner places second as Matthieu Vaxiviere set quickest time
• Signatech Alpine third and No.13 Vaillante Rebellion fourth in ultra-competitive class
• Early pattern of Ford versus Ferrari emerges in LMGTE Pro as No.66 goes fastest with a 2m04.939s lap by Stefan Mücke
• Title leading duo of Harry Tincknell and Andy Priaulx had sat atop the times in No.67 Ford GT but Mücke’s late lap drops them down to P2
• Priaulx’s early session 2m05.213s is just 0.27s behind sister car
• No.51 AF Corse Ferrari third as Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado head stablemates, Sam Bird and Davide Rigon are just 0.4s further back in No.71 Ferrari 488GTE
• LMGTE Am class headed by Aston Martin Racing as Pedro Lamy’s 2m06.989s leads the way
• Matteo Cairoli sets second best time for Dempsey Proton Porsche, 0.4s adrift of Lamy’s best