Current championship leader Rob Huff posted the fastest lap in this morning’s practice session. The Briton drove his Chevrolet Cruze around the Belgian track in 1:38.531, leaving his team-mate and reigning world champion Yvan Muller two tenths behind (1:38.796).
None of the other drivers was able to break the 1:39. wall, with Michel Nykjær’s and Gabriele Tarquini’s SEAT TDi cars posting the third and fourth fastest lap (1:39.321 and 1:39.482 respectively), which relegated Chevrolet’s third man Alain Menu (1:39.486) to the fifth place.
Nykjær was also the fastest of the Yokohama Trophy competitors but Darryl O’Young was equally impressive in sixth overall (1:39.511) just ahead of Tiago Monteiro (1:39.524) and Tom Coronel (1:39.551). Robert Dahlgren clocked the 12th fastest lap in his normally aspirated Volvo C30 at 1:40.046.
A few drivers provided creepy moments during the session: Kristian Poulsen spun onto the gravel bed at Sterrenwacht, Fabio Fabiani completed a perfect 360 degrees at the Lucien Bianchi bend and Coronel flew over the kerbs at the Villeneuve chicane.
| Pos. | Driver | Car | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | R. Huff | Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T | 1m38.531s | |
| 02 | Y. Muller | Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T | 1m38.796s | +0.265s |
| 03 | M. Nykjaer | Seat Leon 2.0 TDI | 1m39.321s | +0.790s |
| 04 | G. Tarquini | Seat Leon 2.0 TDI | 1m39.482s | +0.951s |
| 05 | A. Menu | Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T | 1m39.486s | +0.955s |
| 06 | D. O’Young | Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T | 1m39.511s | +0.980s |
| 07 | T. Monteiro | Seat Leon 2.0 TDI | 1m39.524s | +0.993s |
| 08 | T. Coronel | BMW 320 TC | 1m39.551s | +1.020s |
| 09 | M. Bennani | BMW 320 TC | 1m39.901s | +1.370s |
| 10 | M. Lee | BMW 320 TC | 1m39.973s | +1.442s |
| 11 | F. Engstler | BMW 320 TC | 1m40.001s | +1.470s |
| 12 | T. Dahlgren | Volvo C30 | 1m40.046s | +1.515s |
| 13 | F. Barth | Seat Leon 2.0 TDI | 1m40.277s | +1.746s |
| 14 | P. Oriola | Seat Leon 2.0 TDI | 1m40.326s | +1.795s |
| 15 | J. Villa | BMW 320 TC | 1m40.423s | +1.892s |
| 16 | N. Michelisz | BMW 320 TC | 1m40.502s | +1.971s |
| 17 | K. Poulsen | BMW 320 TC | 1m41.228s | +2.697s |
| 18 | Y. Taniguchi | Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T | 1m41.932s | +3.401s |
| 19 | A. Dudukalo | Seat Leon 2.0 TDI | 1m42.203s | +3.672s |
| 20 | U. Sonderegger | BMW 320 TC | 1m43.266s | +4.735s |
| 21 | F. Fabiani | BMW 320si | 1m44.765s | +6.234s |