The participants due to start the Paul Ricard 1000 km took advantage of the free practice day to fine-tuning their cars, with the Ferrari teams busy in search of the optimum set-up in the four hours available.
Bronze test. The programme got underway in the morning with the session dedicated to "Bronze" drivers, dominated by the returning Jonathan Hui at the wheel of the Sky Tempesta Racing-run 488 GT3 Evo 2020 with a time of 1’55 "722. The weather, with just a hint of clouds, produced atmospheric temperatures of 17.3°C with 23.6°C on-track, rising throughout the session as the sun emerged.
Free Practice 1. The ninety-minute afternoon session saw radical changes to the temperatures, with 37.2°C on the asphalt and 20.7°C in the air. The track, becoming more rubberized and the presence of the Pro drivers allowed a significant drop in lap times, even if they remained far from the times registered during pre-season testing. The fastest of the Maranello cars proved to be Iron Lynx’s #71 with the ninth quickest time of 1’54"796 set by Antonio Fuoco who made his GT World Challenge debut on this track last year. In Pro-Am class, first place went to Froggatt, Hui and Cheever with the Sky Tempesta Racing-run Ferrari, eleventh overall.
Free Practice 2. In the day’s second and final free practice session, drivers took to the track to familiarize themselves with the light conditions they are likely to encounter during the race, to be held mainly at night. The temperatures had dropped compared to the ninety-minute afternoon session and with them the times. In Pro class, the fastest of the Ferraris was the 71 who turned out a 1’54”808-lap time. In Pro-Am class, Sky Tempesta Racing completed the session in first place. In the Silver Cup, Rinaldi Racing's 488 GT3 Evo 2020 crewed by Perel, Hites and Varrone managed to improve on the afternoon's performance to finish in eleventh class position.
Schedule. Tomorrow, the racing gets underway at 10:45 local time with the qualifying sessions that will determine the starting grid. The six-hour race kicks off at 18:00, but will be preceded by the second round of the Esports GT Pro Series in the early afternoon.