Donington - FP1: Huff proves the best... sailor

Many drivers experienced aquaplaning

By Franck Drui

16 July 2011 - 11:00
Donington - FP1: Huff proves the (...)

In a grey morning and under pouring rain, Rob Huff and Yvan Muller swapped positions on top of the time sheet as they consistently improved the fastest lap and inflicted a one-second gap to the rest of the field.

Eventually Huff clocked the session’s best time of 1:51.058, beating Muller’s 1:51.308.

Tiago Monteiro was the best of the rest, third with a lap of 1:52.299 after the team solved the engine problem his SUNRED car has had during yesterday’s test. Robert Dahlgren set the fourth fastest lap (1:52.311) in his Volvo C30, followed by an impressive Pepe Oriola who was classified fifth and best of the Yokohama Trophy with a lap of 1:52.748.

Alain Menu and Michel Nykjær took sixth and seventh respectively ahead of a BMW quartet. In very critical conditions for rear-wheel drive, Tom Coronel emerged as the fastest at the wheel of the German car, posting the eighth best time of 1:53.467, just fractions of a second faster than Franz Engstler, Kristian Poulsen and Mehdi Bennani.

Grip conditions on the tarmac were changeable and tricky and many drivers experienced aquaplaning on the puddles and drove wide or spun. All of them were able to rejoin and most avoided contact with the barriers, but Fabio Fabiani who kissed the tyre wall at Goddards.

Pos. Driver Car Time Gap
01 R. Huff Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 1:51.058
02 Y. Muller Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 1:51.306 +0.248s
03 T. Monteiro Seat Leon 2.0 TDI 1:52.299 +1.241s
04 R. Dahlgren Volvo C30 1:52.311 +1.253s
05 P. Oriola SR Leon 1.6T 1:52.748 +1.690s
06 A. Menu Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 1:53.152 +2.094s
07 M. Nykjaer SR Leon 1.6T 1:53.348 +2.290s
08 T. Coronel BMW 320 TC 1:53.467 +2.409s
09 F. Engstler BMW 320 TC 1:53.523 +2.465s
10 K. Poulsen BMW 320 TC 1:53.651 +2.593s
11 M. Bennani BMW 320 TC 1:53.866 +2.808s
12 F. Barth SR Leon 1.6T 1:54.156 +3.098s
13 Y. Taniguchi Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 1:54.503 +3.445s
14 G. Tarquini Seat Leon 2.0 TDI 1:55.063 +4.005s
15 J. Villa BMW 320 TC 1:55.437 +4.379s
16 N. Michelisz BMW 320 TC 1:55.493 +4.435s
17 C. Turkington BMW 320 TC 1:55.679 +4.621s
18 D. O’Young Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 1:56.389 +5.331s
19 A. Dudukalo SR Leon 1.6T 1:56.463 +5.405s
20 F. Fabiani BMW 320 si 2:07.256 +16.198s

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