Macau, FP1 - Menu sets pace in the first session

Chevrolet drivers were in a league of their own

Chevrolet drivers were in a league of their own during this morning’s first practice session in Macau.

On a track that was still wet after it rained all night, WTCC racers had a very cautious approach. Since the first laps Alain Menu and Rob Huff emerged as the fastest of the pack.

The sequence of the best laps saw Huff posting a 2:50.643 at the very beginning; him and Menu swapped positions several times, improving significantly each time they crossed the finishing line, until the Swiss clocked the fastest lap for good at 2:44.858.

Yvan Muller’s 2:45.102 was good enough for second, while Huff ranked third with a lap of 2:45.349.

If the three Chevrolet cars were covered by only half-a-second, the rest of the field was far behind.

Tiago Monteiro was classified fourth with a lap of 2:47.349, 2.5 seconds off Huff’s best lap, while Fredy Barth (2:47.465) placed himself in fifth and on top of the Yokohama Trophy.

The only incident during the session happened at the very end, when Tom Coronel crashed at the last turn on the way to improve his lap time. However, the Dutchman was able to limp back to the pits with damage to the front left.