Mikhail Grachev puts new Volkswagen Golf in the lead in practice

Mikhail Grachev led the second Free Practice session at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. The Russian driver battled for the last ten minutes of the session with WestCoast Racing’s Gianni Morbidelli and Liqui Moly Team Engstler team-mate Pol Rosell, in what emerged to be a very tight Free Practice 2.

Initially Pepe Oriola took the lead, but that was short-lived as his lap time was cancelled due to track limits infringments. As a result, Andrea Belicchi jumped up to first for Target Competition, but Gianni Morbidelli then elected to go out on track and managed to improve consistently until he reached the same lap time as Stefano Comini had clocked earlier this morning.

With ten minutes to go, however, the Volkswagens started going flat out and eventually knocked Morbidelli off the lead, despite the Italian further improving his lap, as Mikhail Grachev took first place. Liqui Moly Team Engstler team-mate Pol Rosell had further improved that time, but it was cancelled due to track limits infringments as well.

Behind the trio, Stefano Comini jumped up to fourth in the last few minutes of the session, just ahead of the Craft-Bamboo Lukoil drivers, with Pepe Oriola ahead of Jordi Gené and Sergey Afanasyev. Andrea Belicchi came home eighth ahead of Igor Skuz, who had looked strong midway through the session, and Liqui Moly Team Engstler’s Lorenzo Veglia.

Once again several drivers were warned due to track limits violations, as already said. Besides Oriola and Belicchi, Igor Skuz and Pol Rosell have also been called by the stewards. On the closing lap of the session Lorenzo Veglia risked a spin at turn 6, but managed to control the car.

Diego Romanini did make it to the track in his Ford Focus, but the car is still way off the pace as the team basically performed a shakedown of the new gearbox.

Next up is qualifying, which will start at 16.30 local time.