Chevrolet set the pace again in this morning’s practice session. Under an overcast sky, with cool wind blowing from the sea, the track record (2:09.026) set by Rob Huff in yesterday’s test was literally shattered.
For most of the session Huff himself led off the dance. He first completed four consecutive laps, improving from 2:08.454 to 2:07.447, and then improved further to 2:07.085 with five minutes left on the clock.
However, his team-mates Yvan Muller and Alain Menu were able to oust him from the top as the Frenchman set a provisional fastest lap of 2:07.080 and finally Menu clocked an impressive 2:06.992 settling the matter for good.
Despite the Chevrolet pace, BMW and SUNRED drivers were not far behind. Tom Coronel was classified fourth (2:07.587) and local hero Tiago Monteiro fifth (2:07.825).
Fredy Barth (2:08.026) topped the Yokohama Trophy in sixth position overall, followed by Stefano D’Aste, Norbert Michelisz, Gabriele Tarquini and Pepe Oriola.
A total of 16 drivers were able to post lap times faster than the previous record, which was the direct consequence of the impressive improvements made to the track.
| Pos. | Driver | Car | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | A. Menu | Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T | 2:06.992 | |
| 02 | Y. Muller | Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T | 2:07.080 | +0.088s |
| 03 | R. Huff | Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T | 2:07.085 | +0.093s |
| 01 | T. Coronel | BMW 320 TC | 2:07.587 | +0.595s |
| 05 | T. Monteiro | Seat Leon 2.0 TDI | 2:07.825 | +0.833s |
| 06 | F. Barth | SR Leon 1.6T | 2:08.026 | +1.034s |
| 07 | S. D’Aste | BMW 320 TC | 2:08.041 | +1.049s |
| 08 | N. Michelisz | BMW 320 TC | 2:08.075 | +1.083s |
| 09 | G. Tarquini | Seat Leon 2.0 TDI | 2:08.151 | +1.159s |
| 10 | P. Oriola | SR Leon 1.6T | 2:08.394 | +1.402s |
| 11 | F. Engstler | BMW 320 TC | 2:08.477 | +1.485s |
| 12 | M. Nykjaer | SR Leon 1.6T | 2:08.518 | +1.526s |
| 13 | D. O’Young | Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T | 2:08.522 | +1.530s |
| 14 | J. Villa | BMW 320 TC | 2:08.713 | +1.721s |
| 15 | K. Poulsen | BMW 320 TC | 2:08.784 | +1.792s |
| 16 | R. Dahlgren | Volvo C30 | 2:09.026 | +2.034s |
| 17 | M. Bennani | BMW 320 TC | 2:09.135 | +2.146s |
| 18 | A. Dudukalo | Seat Leon 2.0 TDI | 2:09.282 | +2.290s |
| 19 | Y. Taniguchi | Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T | 2:12.342 | +5.350s |