There was a great deal of anticipation in the air on Friday morning at the historic Hockenheimring in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, as the cars of the Autobacs Super GT Series completed a successful first test at race speed in the lead up to opening practice for this weekend’s Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) season finale.
Four-time GT500 Drivers’ Champion Ronnie Quintarelli, aboard the 2016 #1 Motul Autech NISMO GT-R, joined reigning GT500 champion Heikki Kovalainen, in the 2016 #093 TRD Lexus LC500 Test Car, for the first of two thirty-minute demonstration runs of the weekend.
In the session, Super GT’s challenge to the DTM was laid down – as Kovalainen recorded an unofficial lap time of 1:29.8, nearly two seconds faster than the best time set in the subsequent DTM free practice session.
For the diehard fans who turned up on Friday morning for the opening practice, it was the perfect chance for the European racing fans to see GT500 cars in action, at race speed, and to hear the roar of the turbocharged, two-litre turbo engines that will become the standard of the unified Class One regulations in 2019 echoing through the famous stadium complex.
Even the fans watching the session at home were treated to some rare onboard shots of the two former champions racing their GT500 machines in anger around the 4.5 kilometer Hockenheimring.
Kovalainen’s unofficial lap of 1:29.8 was nearly two seconds better than the fastest time in first practice for the DTM runners, a 1:31.760 clocked by former series champion Mike Rockenfeller. Kovalainen was running on Bridgestone tyres, a key difference from the DTM which uses a control tyre from Hankook. No time was recorded from Quintarelli on his Michelin-clad GT-R, though it is believed to be 1 to 2 seconds slower.
ITR president Gerhard Berger and GTA chairman Masaaki Bandoh will hold a joint press conference at 9:40 AM CET, discussing the future of both DTM and Super GT.
Also on hand for the weekend festivities are former GT500 champion Loïc Duval, 2016 Super GT rookie contender Tadasuke Makino, and even nine-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Tom Kristensen – all former Super GT drivers competing at the Hockenheimring in DTM and support events.
Feature image credit: © Ryuji Hirano / AUTOSPORTweb
Super GT World 