Free Practice was halted not long after the session went green when the no27 Nielsen Racing Oreca spun off into the gravel, dropping a lot of oil on the track in the process. The car was recovered back to the pits, with the track marshals working hard to clean the circuit before the session could resume.
At the chequered flag the no29 IDEC Sport Oreca was second fastest, with Paul Loup Chatin’s lap of 1m29.925 two tenths behind the no25 APR Oreca. The no43 Inter Europol Competition of Tom Dillmann was third fastest in LMP2, 0.570s behind the lead car and the no37 CLX Motorsport Oreca of Theodor Jensen was 4th fastest 0.037s behind the no43 Oreca-Gibson.
The no14 TDS Racing Oreca was the quickest of the twelve LMP2 Pro/Am competitors, with the lap time of 1m30.517 set by Sami Meguetounif the fifth fastest lap overall at the end of the 90-minute session. The no19 Rossa Racing Virage Oreca was second fastest in the class, with Manuel Espirito Santo posting a 1m30.626, just 0.046s ahead of the no30 Duqueine Team Oreca after Doriane Pin’s 1m30.672 lap of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The no13 Inter Europol Competition Ligier-Toyota led the way in LMP3, with Henry Cubides Olarte’s lap of 1m38.236 nearly six tenths faster than the rest of the 10-car field. The no85 R-ace GP Duqueine posted the second fastest LMP3 lap time, a 1m38.820 set by Hugo Schwarze. The no8 Team Virage Ligier was third quickest with a 1m38.872, just 0.014s ahead of the no35 Ultimate Ligier.
It was the no57 Kessel Racing Ferrari that came out on top at the chequered flag, with Daniel Serra setting a 1m41.577 to head a Ferrari 1-2-3-4 at the end of the 90-minute Free Practice. The no86 GR Racing Ferrari was second quickest, with Lorcan Hanafin setting the fastest lap in the car of 1m41.990, just 0.017s ahead of the no51 AF Corse 296 and 0.087s ahead of the no50 Richard Mille AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo. The no23 United Autosports McLaren 720S was the top non-Ferrari entry, with Wayne Boyd posting 1m42.167, 0.090s behind the no50 Ferrari.
The next ELMS session in Barcelona will be the 30-minute Bonze Driver Collective Test starting at 16h10, followed by the second 60-minute Free Practice session at 10h10 tomorrow morning.
CLICK HERE for the result from Free Practice 1
4 Hours of Barcelona
The 4 Hours of Barcelona weekend begins on Friday 10 April with Free Practice 1 and the 30-minute Bronze Driver Collective Test.
On Saturday 11 April will feature the second 90-minute Free Practice session followed by qualifying for the 4 Hours of Barcelona. The 4 Hours of Barcelona takes place on Sunday 12 April, with the race due to start at 12h00 and the chequered flag waved four hours later at 16h00.
Tickets are still available from only 8€. CLICK HERE to visit the event page on the official website of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
CLICK HERE to view the provisional timetable for the 4 Hours of Barcelona.
LIVE COVERAGE ON FIAWEC+ APP
A proving ground for teams and drivers with Le Mans in their sights, the European Le Mans Series is live for free on FIAWEC+, the official home of ELMS coverage, with full race broadcasts, replays and highlights throughout the season. Stream every ELMS race for free with a FIAWEC+ account on https://plus.fiawec.com/en/european-le-mans-series
