Hexis Aston's Andrea Piccini quickest in second session at San Luis
Hexis Racing's Andrea Piccini set the fastest time in Friday's World GT1 pre-qualifying practice session at San Luis. The Italian's Aston Martin DB9 was the sole car to break the 2m15s barrier at the daunting 6.3km Potrero de los Funes circuit today
Piccini, who with team-mate Christian Hohenadel is aiming to add to a lone championship race victory of 2011 at the Sachsenring in May, knocked the Richard Westbrook/Peter Dumbreck JRM Nissan off the top of the timing screens with less than two minutes of the hour and 20 minute session remaining.
The JRM Nissan ended the afternoon 0.313 seconds adrift in second, having suffered a spin at Turn 12 towards the end of the session.
In a strong showing from the French Hexis squad, Clivio Piccione and Stef Dusseldorp took third, just 0.040s shy of the Nissan. Hexis won both races at the last FIA GT1 meeting at San Luis in 2010.
Friday morning's pacesetter Christopher Hasse claimed a solid fourth in the DKR Lamborghini. The Lamborghini was one of several cars to spin at Turn 10, but continued with no apparent damage.
David Brabham and Jamie Campbell-Walter were fifth fastest in the Sumo Power Nissan, ahead of the Markus Winkelhock and Marc Basseng All-Inkl Lamborghini.
The championship leading Nissan crew of Lucas Luhr and Michael Krumm finished the afternoon in 11th, one place behind the Young Driver Aston of Tomas Enge and Alex Muller, which received a black and white warning flag for failing to respect track limits at Turn 12.
The #8 Young Driver DB9's afternoon was disrupted when Stefan Mucke spun towards the end of the lap, and consequently missed approximately 20 minutes of running. Mucke and team-mate Darren Turner, who are Luhr and Krumm's closest challengers in the points fight, ended the afternoon 17th fastest.
Pos Drivers Team/Car Time Gap 1. Hohenadel/Piccini Hexis Aston 2m14.739s 2. Westbrook/Dumbreck JRM Nissan 2m15.052s + 0.313s 3. Piccione/Dusseldorp Hexis Aston 2m15.092s + 0.353s 4. Lauck/Haase DKR Lamborghini 2m15.388s + 0.649s 5. Brabham/Campbell-Walter Sumo Power Nissan 2m15.411s + 0.672s 6. Winkelhock/Basseng All-Inkl Lamborghini 2m15.524s + 0.785s 7. Schwager/Pastorelli All-Inkl Lamborghini 2m15.599s + 0.860s 8. Bernoldi/Catsburg Sumo Power Nissan 2m15.618s + 0.879s 9. Leinders/Risatti Marc VDS Ford 2m15.635s + 0.896s 10. Muller/Enge Young Driver Aston 2m15.823s + 1.084s 11. Luhr/Krumm JRM Nissan 2m15.838s + 1.099s 12. Palttala/Leclerc Belgian Ford 2m16.193s + 1.454s 13. Pastorelli/Buurman Exim Corvette 2m16.322s + 1.583s 14. Rossi/Verdonck Exim Corvette 2m16.448s + 1.709s 15. Kennard/Bruck DKR Lamborghini 2m16.602s + 1.863s 16. Hirschi/Nygaard Belgian Ford 2m16.685s + 1.946s 17. Turner/Mucke Young Driver Aston 2m16.899s + 2.160s 18. Martin/Clairay Marc VDS Ford 2m17.583s + 2.844s
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