Pepe Oriola fastest again in Russia as rivals get closer
Pepe Oriola was fastest in the second free practice session at Sochi, Russia. The Spaniard had finished ahead of Leopard Racing’s Stefano Comini and WestCoast Racing’s Mikhail Grachev, making it three different manufacturers in the top three spots.
Oriola led the way ever since lap times started to be significant, although Craft-Bamboo Lukoil team-mate Sergey Afanasyev did steal the lead away from him with 10 minutes to go. However, the Spaniard was quick to regain the lead after that, as the B3 Racing SEATs surprisingly struggled in the session, navigating around the top ten before eventually dropping out of it with all three cars.
The Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR of Petr Fulìn made a significant step forward in the second free practice session, breaking into the top ten to claim seventh. Team-mate Michela Cerruti didn’t quite enjoy the same progress due to a problem with the car.
Oriola finished ahead of Stefano Comini, the defending champion less than two tenths off the pace, with Mikhail Grachev strong again in third in the Honda Civic TCR. Jean-Karl Vernay confirmed the Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR’s strong form so far by finishing in fourth ahead of home hero Sergey Afansyev.
Gianni Morbidelli came sixth and just missed out on a top five spot after navigating in that area for most of the session, the Italian finishing ahead of Fulìn. James Nash was eighth after failing to improve on his last attempt in the Craft-Bamboo Lukoil SEAT, while Liqui Moly Team Engstler’s Davit Kajaia finished in ninth ahead of team-mate and TCR International Series newcomer Vladimir Sheshenin.
Next up is qualifying at 15:20 local time.
