Thed Björk leads the final practice session for Lynk & Co Cyan Racing
2017 World Touring Car champion Thed Björk was fastest of all in the second practice session at the Circuit Moulay El Hassan in Morocco, leading the way ahead of Münnich Honda’s Esteban Guerrieri, and his Cyan Racing team-mate Yvan Muller.
With the circuit now completely dry, the session was somewhat more stable than the first, with WRT’s Jean-Karl Vernay holding on to the top of the time sheets during the first half in his Audi RS 3 LMS.
A flurry of improvements came in the second part of the session, with Comtoyou Racing Cupra driver Aurélien Panis, Hyundai’s Gabriele Tarquini, and then the Hondas of Tiago Monteiro and Esteban Guerrieri all going quickest.
Thed Björk then put together his best lap, just before the session was disrupted by a pair of punctures, the first for WRT driver Gordon Shedden, who stopped out on circuit in his Audi RS 3 LMS under a yellow flag.
While Shedden’s car was moved behind the barriers, the practice was soon red-flagged when Tom Coronel’s Comtoyou Racing Cupra TCR also stopped on track with just under five minutes remaining with a front-right puncture.
The session resumed with four minutes to go, but cool tyres and a busy track saw few improvements.
The best-placed of the Hyundai contingent was BRC driver Norbert Michelisz in fourth, while Aurélien Panis was again the top Cupra in eighth.
The fastest of the Audis was Jean-Karl Vernay in tenth, while the best-placed of the four Sébastien Loeb Racing Volkswagens was Rob Huff in 11th.
In another close session, the top 23 were covered by one second, with 1.5 seconds covering the whole field.
The 40-minute Qualifying 1 session takes place at 13:00 WEST (14:00 CEST), which sets the grid for Race 1 this afternoon at 16:50 WEST (17:50 CEST).
