Slovakia Ring WTCC: Jose Maria Lopez and Yvan Muller lead practice

In a dry but largely inconsequential first session, Lopez set the benchmark lap 2m05.201s with his first flyer, and none of his rivals appeared to mount a serious challenge to it as they focused on their programmes.

Rob Huff, second fastest overall in the Lada Vesta, was 0.716s off.

Clouds gathered during the interval between sessions and the ambient temperature dropped.

Having been seventh quickest in the first session, Lopez's team-mate Muller flew out of the gates in session two with a 2m05.057s that would stand as the fastest until the chequered flag, aided by rain in the closing minutes.

The second session was briefly red-flagged after Gregoire Demoustier went off at the fast, sweeping Turn 2 and made side-on contact with the barrier in his Chevrolet Cruze.

Lopez and Sebastien Loeb made it a Citroen 1-2-3 in session two with late efforts in their C-Elysees, 0.111s and 0.163s off Muller's fastest lap.

Their factory Citroen team-mate Ma Qing Hua had been third fastest in the opening practice session, but was 14th in the second after his fastest time - which would have been good enough for fourth place - was disallowed because he exceeded the track limits at Turn 9 while setting it.

That left independent runner Hugo Valente fourth for Chevrolet, 0.478s down on Muller.

Huff narrowed his margin to the fastest Citroen to 0.493s in the second session, but with more competition this time around he was classified fifth, just ahead of team-mate Nicky Catsburg and Citroen satellite entrant Mehdi Bennani.

In spite of limited running, a consequence of departing the track at high speed at Turn 1 in the opening session after picking up a puncture, Tom Chilton was eighth fastest in the second session.

Honda's Civics are carrying 60kg of compensation weight this weekend and made little progress from one session to the next. Gabriele Tarquini was the fastest Honda driver in both, but his best lap in the latter session was slower than the first and he slid from fifth to 10th in the overall order.

PRACTICE 1 TIMES:

PRACTICE 2 TIMES: