LADA’s Gabriele Tarquini set the pace in Friday testing for the World Touring Car Championship at the Slovakiaring, 0.211 seconds ahead of Honda’s Norbert Michelisz.
Tarquini put in the fastest lap right at the end of the session to pip Michelisz, who had earlier been quickest in the opening ten minutes, to the top time.
Nicky Catsburg made it a promising start to the weekend with the third best time for LADA, ahead of Polestar Cyan Racing’s Thed Björk, who had been fastest inside the closing five minutes of the half hour session.
Reigning champion José María López put his Citroën in fifth, with the Argentine only improving late-on in the session.
Honda’s Tiago Monteiro was sixth, ahead of the third LADA of Hugo Valente in seventh. Eighth-placed Fredrik Ekblom was the only other driver to be within a second of the pace in his Volvo.
Upon his return to the championship in the Münnich Motorsport Chevrolet, Brit James Thompson was 16th, 2.733 seconds off the pace as he acclimatised himself to the new car for the first time.
Session results
| POS | NO | CL | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 2 | Gabriele TARQUINI |  |
LADA Sport Rosneft | LADA Vesta WTCC | 11 | 2:04.956 | 0.000 | |
| 2 | 5 | Norbert MICHELISZ |  |
Honda Racing Team JAS | Honda Civic WTCC | 10 | 2:05.167 | 0.211 | |
| 3 | 10 | Nicky CATSBURG |  |
LADA Sport Rosneft | LADA Vesta WTCC | 11 | 2:05.272 | 0.316 | |
| 4 | 62 | Thed BJÖRK |  |
Polestar Cyan Racing | Volvo S60 WTCC | 10 | 2:05.282 | 0.326 | |
| 5 | 37 | José María LÓPEZ |  |
Citroën Total WTCC | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 8 | 2:05.294 | 0.338 | |
| 6 | 18 | Tiago MONTEIRO |  |
Honda Racing Team JAS | Honda Civic WTCC | 10 | 2:05.428 | 0.472 | |
| 7 | 7 | Hugo VALENTE |  |
LADA Sport Rosneft | LADA Vesta WTCC | 10 | 2:05.680 | 0.724 | |
| 8 | 61 | Fredrik EKBLOM | |
Polestar Cyan Racing | Volvo S60 WTCC | 11 | 2:05.921 | 0.965 | |
| 9 | 12 | Rob HUFF |  |
Honda Racing Team JAS | Honda Civic WTCC | 9 | 2:06.119 | 1.163 | |
| 10 | 27 | Y | John FILIPPI | |
Campos Racing | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 9 | 2:06.136 | 1.180 |
| 11 | 68 | Yvan MULLER | |
Citroën Total WTCC | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 8 | 2:06.197 | 1.241 | |
| 12 | 9 | Y | Tom CORONEL | |
ROAL Motorsport | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 11 | 2:06.566 | 1.610 |
| 13 | 3 | Y | Tom CHILTON | |
Sébastien Loeb Racing | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 10 | 2:06.762 | 1.806 |
| 14 | 25 | Y | Mehdi BENNANI |  |
Sébastien Loeb Racing | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 12 | 2:07.117 | 2.161 |
| 15 | 11 | Y | Grégoire DEMOUSTIER | |
Sébastien Loeb Racing | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 10 | 2:07.640 | 2.684 |
| 16 | 15 | Y | James THOMPSON | |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 10 | 2:07.689 | 2.733 |
| 17 | 55 | Y | Ferenc FICZA | |
Zengő Motorsport | Honda Civic WTCC | 7 | 2:14.094 | 9.138 |