Brits tops Brands free practice

The first free practice session at Brands Hatch saw the British drivers on top with James Thompson emerging as the strongest of the field at his home track. Behind the wheel of his Alfa Romeo 156 the former BTCC champion clocked a 1:33.567 which was only marginally better than the best time of Colin Turkington who is making his WTCC debut behind the wheel of his BMW 320si.

The Team RAC driver had an impressive session and his 1:33.590 equated to a solid second in the times. Three manufacturers were represented in the top three times as SEAT Sport’s Tiago Monteiro posted a 1:33.851.

His celebrations were short lived as he made a mistake at Paddock Hill Bend and finished his session in the tyre barrier.

Reigning champion Andy Priaulx set the initial pace with a 1:34.278. He bettered that throughout the session with his best offering (1:33.875) positioning him fourth on the timesheet.

Alain Menu headed the Chevrolet presence by setting the fifth best time. He set the best middle sector of the session and crossed the line in 1:33.988 with two minutes of the session remaining.

His team-mates Rob Huff and Nicola Larini clocked the 14th and 15th times respectively. Larini strayed off the asphalt at the start of the session but rejoined unscathed.

Augusto Farfus and fellow BMW Team Germany compatriot Jörg Müller slotted into sixth and seventh places while Yvan Muller achieved the eighth best lap time. The top 15 drivers were covered by less than one second.

The Independents’ category was dominated by Luca Rangoni from Proteam Motorsport. The Italian, who is currently sitting second in the trophy bid, set the 11th fastest time overall.