Lariche fastest in Valencia practice

The 23-year-old Frenchman posted a late flying lap to knock Philipp Eng off the top spot and set the quickest lap in a session for the first time this season.

Valencia holds fond memories for Lariche after he took his first, and to date only, major car racing victory at the Spanish track in the 2008 Formula Renault West European Cup.

Eng finished the session second quickest, ahead of Jack Clarke who set the pace in the early running, with Kazim Vasiliauskas, Sergei Afanasiev and Nicola de Marco completing the top six.

Title favourite Dean Stoneman was 11th, with challenger Jolyon Palmer 14th.

Natalia Kowalska returns to the series after missing the last round at Oschersleben and was 15th this morning, while Ramon Pineiro was 17th on his series debut.


Pos Driver                     Time       Gap    Laps
 1. Benjamin Lariche           1m28.022s           16
 2. Philipp Eng                1m28.171s  +0.149   16
 3. Jack Clarke                1m28.280s  +0.258   16
 4. Kazim Vasiliauskas         1m28.800s  +0.778   16
 5. Sergei Afanasiev           1m28.801s  +0.779   15
 6. Nicola de Marco            1m28.893s  +0.871   15
 7. Kelvin Snoeks              1m28.965s  +0.943   17
 8. Will Bratt                 1m29.057s  +1.035   16
 9. Mihai Marinescu            1m29.062s  +1.040   16
10. Benjamin Bailly            1m29.105s  +1.083   14
11. Dean Stoneman              1m29.139s  +1.117   15
12. Armaan Ebrahim             1m29.178s  +1.156   14
13. Ricardo Teixeira           1m29.244s  +1.222   15
14. Jolyon Palmer              1m29.493s  +1.471   15
15. Natalia Kowalska           1m29.494s  +1.472   17
16. Ivan Samarin               1m30.052s  +2.030   16
17. Ramon Pineiro              1m30.168s  +2.146   17
18. Johannes Theobald          1m30.256s  +2.234   16
19. Plamen Kralev              1m31.049s  +3.027   16