Rob Huff fastest from Tom Coronel in FP1 in China

Chevrolet driver Rob Huff set the fastest time in the first practice session on Saturday, ahead of ROAL Motorsport’s Tom Coronel at the Tianma circuit.

Huff and Coronel were the only two drivers to set times in the 1:05s in the session, where Huff’s Chevrolet team-mate Alain Menu was the only driver to achieve that feat in Friday’s test session.

Menu wound up seventh quickest in today’s practice, completing just nine laps, the least of any of the 20 turbocharged runners in the 30 minute session.

Championship leader Yvan Muller was third fastest, just under four-tenths of a second down on title rival Huff.

Robert Dahlgren was fourth quickest in the Polestar Volvo C30, with Colin Turkington again the fastest of the independent drivers in the Wiechers-Sport/West Surrey Racing-run BMW 320 TC in fifth, just under half a second down.

Independents’ trophy points leader Kristian Poulsen was sixth quickest in the Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW, with Proteam’s Javier Villa eighth and team-mate Franz Engstler in ninth place.

The SUNRED Leóns continue to struggle at the slow and short Tianma circuit. Gabriele Tarquini was the fastest of the team’s six drivers down in 12th place, 1.3 seconds off the pace.

In the two car Jay-Ten category for normally aspirated cars, Fabio Fabiani lead the way in his new berth at Engstler Motorsport in 21st, with Hong Kong driver Philip Ma the slowest runner in 22nd, but both drivers times were in the 1:09s, well within 107% of pace setter Rob Huff.

The next session is Free Practice 2 at 12:00 local time (03:00 CET).