Gabriele Tarquini set the fastest time in the first practice session for the World Touring Car Championship in Portugal, lapping the Algarve circuit almost half a second faster than second-placed Yvan Muller.
Click here for the full first practice times.
Tarquini was comfortably the fastest driver on track from the mid-point of the session onwards, with the Italian eventually posting a time towards the end that put him 0.498 seconds clear of Frenchman Muller.
Alain Menu, playing the fictional role of ‘Michel Vaillant’ this weekend, was third fastest – more than a second slower than Tarquini’s best time. Menu’s Chevrolet team-mate Rob Huff ended the session as fourth fastest.
Norbert Michelisz was the quickest of the Yokohama Trophy drivers in fifth, with Alberto Cerqui outpacing his vastly more experienced team-mate Tom Coronel to post the sixth fastest time. Coronel was just behind with the seventh fastest time.
Team Aon’s James Nash posted the eighth fastest time, ahead of Lukoil’s Aleksei Dudukalo and LADA’s James Thompson, who is making his second and final appearance of the season this weekend.
Local hero Tiago Monteiro could only manage the 17th best time in his Sunred León. Tom Boardman, enjoying the new SEAT 1.6 turbo engine for the first time this weekend, could only manage the 21st best time.
Second WTCC practice takes place at 1210 WEST (Western European Summer Time, equal to GMT), whilst qualifying takes place at 1415.