Photo: TCR Media

Mikel Azcona pips John Filippi in second Vallelunga free practice

By

Hyundai’s Mikel Azcona was fastest in the second free practice session of the FIA TCR World Tour opener weekend at Vallelunga, just under three hundredths faster than John Filippi’s Volcano Motorsport Audi RS 3 LMS.

Lap times were slightly slower than this morning’s session and almost a second off the pace set in yesterday’s collective tests by Goat Racing’s Esteban Guerrieri.

The session was smooth, as drivers seemed to steer clear of trouble and not push their cars to the absolute limit.

Yann Ehrlacher was third fastest for Lynk & Co Cyan Racing, 0.106 seconds from the top time.

After leading the first half of the session, Marco Butti slipped down to fourth in his Goat Racing Honda Civic FL5 TCR, with Sami Taoufik (Audi) and Norbert Michelisz (Hyundai) close behind. The trio was 0.366, 0.369 and 0.372 seconds from P1 respectively.

Ma Qing Hua was seventh for Lynk & Co, ahead of Nestor Girolami’s Hyundai, with Guerrieri and Coppa Italia Turismo Honda driver Jacopo Cimenes completing the top ten.

Action will resume tomorrow at 11:20 CEST, when cars will finally be out in anger for the first qualifying session of the season.