To kick off the action on Saturday, the TCR European Endurance drivers went back out on track for the second and final free practice of the weekend around the Mugello Circuit. The 20-minute session saw Brigliadori/Alcidi (Audi RS3 LMS) take home the fastest time thanks to a 1:59.959. The BF Motorsport duo climbed to the top of the standings right at the end, in a session characterised by mixed weather conditions. The track was in fact declared wet by the stewards at the beginning; though some light showers hit the track early on, the sun came out after a few minutes, ultimately helping to dry the track out.
Despite the tricky conditions, the session ran without any interruptions, with drivers carefully treading around the racetrack to assess its conditions and fine-tune the last few details before qualifying. Brigliadori/Alcidi snatched first position on their final attempt from Scalvini/Tavano (Cupra Leon Competicion): yesterday’s fastest pair was at the top throughout the entire session, before having to settle for second in the closing stages. In third was PMA Motorsport, with Pelatti/Girolami (Audi RS3 LMS) confirming their positive feeling with the Mugello Circuit thanks to another top-3 finish.
Just like in FP1, the DSG standings were topped by Wimmer Werk Motorsport: Jamaican duo Issa/Summerbell (Cupra Leon DSG) claimed the class lead – as well as fourth overall – with a 2:05.493. The Austrian team got the better of Cuppari/Verrocchio (VW Golf GTI DSG), who put yesterday’s problems behind them to rise up to second in class, as well as to fifth position in the overall standings.
After them, Tuder Motorsport placed both cars in the category’s top-4, with Alcidi/Giovannoni (VW Golf GTI DSG) preceding Damante/Maccari (Audi RS3 DSG); Stefano Moretti (VW Golf GTI DSG) put Faro Racing’s second entry right behind in eighth overall. TEXACO Team AMS rounded out the top-10, though both their cars only performed installation laps and did not set a representative lap time throughout the session. Ultimately, it was their Gen-1 entry of Çiftçi/Okyay (Audi RS3 Gen-1) who claimed ninth, edging out Kalpaklıoğlu/Özen (Audi RS3 DSG).
Saturday’s schedule sees the TCR European Endurance drivers head back out on track for qualifying later on: the first session will start at 13:10 local time, with the second one set to begin at 13:55 local time. After that, the focus will shift on Sunday, March 30th for the opening race of the season. Proceedings are set to begin at 8:45 local time for Stage 1, whereas Stage 2 will see the action resume at 17:25 local time. Both stages are going to be broadcast live on TCR TV’s official YouTube channel, with Daniele Spadi providing commentary on both occasions.
