Petr Fulín fastest in disrupted first test in Austria

Krenek Motorsport’s Petr Fulín was fastest in his BMW 320si ahead of the SEAT of Igor Skuz in the first test session at the Salzburgring circuit in Austria, which was twice red flagged.

The Czech driver who currently has a 20 point lead in the Super 2000 class drivers’ standings, set a time of 1:30.887, just over eight-tenths of a second faster than Skuz’s Campos Racing SEAT León in the one hour session.

The first red flag was brought out when Liqui Moly Team Engstler’s Christian Fischer, returning to the ETCC after missing the Slovakian round, crashed out heavily at Turn 10 and required medical attention. The Swiss driver has been taken to the local hospital at Salzburg for X-rays of his back.

A second red flag session occured when the SEAT Supercopa of Mikhail Maleev stopped at Turn 10 later in the session and needed removing from a dangerous position.

The fastest of the Single-Make Trophy class drivers was local driver Mario Dablander in the Target Competition SEAT León Supercopa. Anton Ladygin was second fastest in the class and fourth overall in the SMP Racing Russian Bears-run SEAT.

Single-Make Trophy points leader Jordi Oriola was third in the class and sixth overall, just behind Swiss driver Peter Rikli’s fifth placed S2000-class Honda Civic.

In the Super 1600 class, points leader and reigning champion Kevin Krammes was quickest of all in the Ravenol Team GENA Ford Fiesta ahead of Luxembourg driver Gilles Bruckner, setting the 21st overall fastest time, 11.3 seconds down on Fulín’s time.

Making his debut in this year’s ETCC was Austrian driver Wolfgang Treml in the second of Campos Racing’s SEAT León TFSIs. The 49-year-old former Austrian Touring Car Championship title winner was tenth fastest in the session, 1.9 seconds behind the pace setting BMW.

The next session takes place at 14:00 CET today.