McNish Audi sets Silverstone pace
Allan McNish and Audi set the pace in the first free practice session for the AUTOSPORT 1000km at Silverstone on Friday
In an odd session that was interrupted by a safety car test just as a brief but sensibly-sized rain shower soaked the track halfway through, the #7 Audi TDI R15 set the pace throughout, with Tom Kristensen leading the way in the rain too.
But McNish was quickest early-on when the track was at its driest, when it counted.
It was only in the last ten minutes of the session - which was delayed by a brief red flag for to recover the Hope Polevision Oreca from a spin - that teams began experimenting with drys and intermediates again as the track dried out again.
It was in that period that Anthony Davidson secured the second fastest time with a 1m46.698s - some four tenths behind his fellow Briton, in the fastest of the Peugeots.
Neel Jani was an impressive third fastest in the Rebellion Lola, which revels in such conditions because of its ability to garner heat in its tyres, ahead of Nicolas Lapierre in the Oreca Peugeot.
Le Mans-winner Timo Bernhard joins Dindo Capello in the #8 Audi, which was fifth fastest ahead of Jean-Christophe Boullion in the second Rebellion Lola.
The #009 and #007 Aston Martins were seventh and eight fastest, just in front of the giant-killing LMP2 Strakka Acura which was ninth, and quickest in class.
The Larbre Competition Saleen was the only GT1 runner, while Richard Westbrook and Marco Holzer's Prospeed Porsche headed the GT2 battle.
Pos Cl Drivers Car Time 1. P1 Kristensen/McNish Audi 1m46.259s + 2. P1 Davidson/Minassian Peugeot 1m46.698s + 0.439s 3. P1 Prost/Jani Lola-Rebellion 1m46.926s + 0.667s 4. P1 Lapierre/Sarrazin Peugeot 1m46.976s + 0.717s 5. P1 Bernhard/Capello Audi 1m48.732s + 2.473s 6. P1 Belicchi/Boullion Lola-Rebellion 1m49.094s + 2.835s 7. P1 Barazi/Hancock/Mucke Aston Martin 1m49.107s + 2.848s 8. P1 Fernandez/Primat/Meyrick Aston Martin 1m49.237s + 2.978s 9. P2 Leventis/Watts/Kane HPD 1m49.525s + 3.266s 10. P1 Ragues/Mailleux/Ickx Lola Aston Martin 1m50.663s + 4.404s 11. P1 Mansell/Mansell Ginetta-Zytek 1m51.009s + 4.750s 12. P2 Moreau/Hein Pescarolo-Judd 1m51.445s + 5.186s 13. P2 Ojjeh/Greaves/Ebbesvik Ginetta-Zytek 1m52.314s + 6.055s 14. P2 Erdos/Newton/Collins Lola-HPD 1m53.092s + 6.833s 15. P2 Amaral/Pla Ginetta-Zytek 1m53.823s + 7.564s 16. P2 Lahaye/Nicolet Pescarolo-Judd 1m54.538s + 8.279s 17. P1 Burgess/Mowlem/McMurry Ginetta-Zytek 1m54.645s + 8.386s 18. P2 Pirri/Cioci/Perazzini Lola-Judd 1m55.961s + 9.702s 19. P1 Drayson/Cocker Lola-Judd 1m57.480s + 11.221s 20. P2 Case/Babini/Leo Lola-Judd 1m58.256s + 11.997s 21. P2 Gates/Garofall/Phillips MG Lola-AER 1m58.839s + 12.580s 22. FLM Pillon/Verdonck/Hollings FLM ORECA 2m00.566s + 14.307s 23. P2 Frey/Rostan/Bruneau Radical-Judd 2m00.740s + 14.481s 24. FLM Kraihamer/De Crem/Delhez FLM ORECA 2m01.193s + 14.934s 25. FLM Firth/Hughes FLM ORECA 2m01.274s + 15.015s 26. P2 de Pourtales/Ordonez/Kennard Lola-Judd 2m02.735s + 16.476s 27. FLM Zacchia/Lombard/Moro FLM ORECA 2m03.132s + 16.873s 28. GT1 Gardel/Goueslard/Rees Saleen 2m03.749s + 17.490s 29. GT2 Westbrook/Holzer Porsche 2m04.431s + 18.172s 30. P2 Schell/Da Rocha Courage-ORECA 2m04.627s + 18.368s 31. GT2 Muller/Werner BMW 2m04.788s + 18.529s 32. GT2 Ragginger/Ried/Dumas Porsche 2m05.141s + 18.882s 33. GT2 Lieb/Lietz Porsche 2m05.313s + 19.054s 34. GT2 Pilet/Narac Porsche 2m05.545s + 19.286s 35. GT2 Bell/Turner Aston Martin 2m05.828s + 19.569s 36. GT2 Alesi/Fisichella/Vilander Ferrari 2m05.971s + 19.712s 37. FLM Barlesi/Cicognani/Chalandon FLM ORECA 2m06.079s + 19.820s 38. GT2 Kirkaldy/Mullen Ferrari 2m06.161s + 19.902s 39. GT2 Bruni/Melo Ferrari 2m06.303s + 20.044s 40. GT2 Companc/Russo Ferrari 2m06.532s + 20.273s 41. GT2 Ehret/Quaife/Kaffer Ferrari 2m07.018s + 20.759s 42. GT2 Dumbreck/Coronel Spyker 2m07.079s + 20.820s 43. GT2 Farnbacher/Simonsen Ferrari 2m07.345s + 21.086s 44. FLM Kutemann/Basso/Hartshorne FLM ORECA 2m09.320s + 23.061s 45. GT2 Giroix/Goethe Lamborghini 2m34.401s + 48.142s
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