After the dramas of yesterday’s 4 Hours of Algarve, today sees the final Free Practice Session of the 2023 season, followed by Qualifying for the final race of the year, the 4 Hours of Portimão.
The 150-minute session was topped by the championship leading no25 Algarve Pro Racing Oreca of James Allen with a 1m32.957 on a completely dry track. The time was just 0.043s ahead of the second fastest car, the no65 Panis Racing of Job Van Uitert.
LMP2 Pro/Am was headed by the no24 Nielsen Racing Oreca of Mathias Beche in 4th overall with a 1m33.152, with the no81 Dragonspeed USA in second place, in 7th overall. The good news that the heavily damaged no99 Proton Competition Oreca had been repaired overnight and was out on track in the session. The car finished 9th overall and 3rd in the LMP2 Pro/Am standings.
LMP3 was headed by the no8 Team Virage Ligier of Manuel Espirito Santo, the Portuguese driver nearly half a second ahead of the no7 Nielsen Racing Ligier and the no31 Racing Spirit of Léman. The no13 Inter Europol Competition Ligier, which had caught fire late into the 4 Hours of Algarve yesterday was back on track thanks to the hard work by the mechanics at the Polish team.
GMB Motorsport headed the very last LMGTE Free Practice session in the ELMS, the Danish squad’s Aston Martin Vantage, driven by Nicki Thiim, lapping in 1m41.053, 0.122s ahead of the no60 Iron Lynx Porsche and another tenth ahead of the no95 TF Sport Aston Martin.
Qualifying for the 4 Hours of Portimão will get underway at 17h20 later this afternoon.
CLICK HERE for the result from FP2.
