Business As Usual - Toyota Top in Silverstone FP2
Top of the timing sheets again for Toyota Gazoo Racing as free practice two draws to a close. Jackie Chan DC Racing fastest in LMP2, Ford Chip Ganassi in GTE Pro and Dempsey Proton Racing in GTE Am.
As the flag dropped at the end of free practice two, it was the #7 Toyota setting the pace once again, finishing a whopping 1.3 seconds clear of the sister car. Stephane Sarrazin and Egor Orudzhev in the #17 SMP Racing BR1 managed to beat the #3 Rebellion into third, thanks to a 1:40.179 from the driving duo. The second SMP Racing found itself in 5th ahead of the Dragonspeed, and the two final LMP1 entries didn't take to the track. The #1 Rebellion remained parked while the team carried out repairs following Bruno Senna's incident in FP1 - the Brazillian driver is now ruled out of the weekend thanks to a fractured ankle. The #4 ByKolles machine remained in the garage too, but the reasons are currently unclear.
In LMP2, the same three cars set the fastest lap times, only in a slightly different order. On top this time around was the 'Mighty 38' Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca 07 with a 1:45.311. The #36 Signatech Alpine of Andre Negrao, Nicolas Lapierre and Pierre Thiriet found itself second quickest, just four tenths behind, with the # 28 TDS Racing machine down in third.
It was another Ford at the top in GTE Pro with Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell running fastest this time around. A 1:56.898 from the British duo in the #67 put them two tenths ahead of an unusual second placed car - the #97 Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTE of Alex Lynn and Maxime Martin.
"I’m confident that we're going to show more pace this weekend, I think the whole team is really motivated to put on a good show for the fans," Lynn said in an earlier press conference, and from that lap time, it appears he's not wrong. The quickest car from FP1 wound up in third, thanks to a 1:57.182 from Mucke and Pla.
Things looked a little different in GTE Am too, with the #98 Aston Martin Racing squad splitting the two Dempsey Proton Porsches in the top three. The #88 Dempsey Proton car reprised its role as the pace-setter with a 1:59.105, while the sister car of Christian Ried, Julien Andlauer and Matt Campbell ended up third fastest.