Yann Ehrlacher pips Mikel Azcona in final free practice at Vila Real
Cyan Racing driver Yann Ehrlacher had the last word in the final FIA TCR World Tour free practice session at the Vila Real street circuit, stealing the top spot at the very end from Hyundai’s Mikel Azcona.
The Lynk & Co driver improved his lap time from the morning session despite air temperatures of 35ºC to register 2:00.190, still half-a-second off the qualifying lap record, with Azcona 0.371 seconds behind.
GOAT Racing driver Esteban Guerrieri (Honda) was third, just six-thousandths behind the Spaniard, with Lynk & Co 03 TCR driver Santiago Urrutia in fourth position. The Uruguayan driver missed the braking point and into the escape road at Turn 1 during his first lap, but was able to recover without any damage.
Reigning champion Norbert Michelisz was fifth, 0.994 seconds of the pace, followed by Thed Björk (Lynk & Co) and fellow Hyundai driver Néstor Girolami, 1.2 seconds behind Ehrlacher.
Ma Qing Hua was the last of the Lynk & Co drivers in eighth place, followed by SP Competition driver Aurélien Comte. Dusan Borkovic of GOAT Racing completed the top ten.
The field will now prepare for the qualifying session, scheduled for 16:40 local time (17:40 CEST).
