27 Mar 2010

The session started with Timur Sadredinov clocking the first significant times, but after the first ten minutes Kristian Poulsen and Tomas Engström began a personal battle for the fastest lap. Poulsen improved to 1:26.247 and Engström answered with a 1:25.944. But the Dane stroke back with two successive laps of 1:25.787 and 1:25.774.
With ten minutes to go Čolak had his first spell to the top with a lap of 1:25.557, but again Poulsen improved to 1:25.414. By that time, however, James Thompson had joined the company and posted two consecutive fastest laps at 1:25.038 and 1:24.839.
That seemed to settle the matter for good, but then Čolak’s SEAT crossed the line in the dying seconds and jumped to the top.
Poulsen and César Campaniço also improved further to 1:24.908 and 1:25.143, moving up to third and fourth respectively and making clear that it will be a tough fight between SEAT, Honda and BMW cars.
Jens Löhnig emerged as the fastest driver in the S1600 class, clocking a 1:31.739 in the late stages and beating Carsten Seifert’s 1:32.386.
The track was completely dry, however a few drivers had moments at the braking point at the end of the long pit straight: Sadredinov, Florian Heitmeier, Campaniço and Irina Protasova all went wide and rejoined.