Photo: Mattias Persson / TouringCarTimes

Mikel Azcona tops opening Macau practice

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BRC Hyundai’s Mikel Azcona set the pace in first practice for the TCR World Tour finale on the streets of Macau, followed on the timesheets by the three title contenders.

Outgoing world touring car champ Azcona lapped the Guia street track in 2:29.037 to lead the way in a largely incident-free opening session on Thursday morning.

Behind the Spaniard, title rivals Yann Ehrlacher (Cyan Racing Lynk & Co), Norbert Michelisz (BRC Hyundai) and Rob Huff (Audi Sport Team Comtoyou) filled positions two, three and four, with Chinese home hero Ma Qing Hua completing the top five in his Cyan Racing Lynk & Co.

Néstor Girolami was sixth quickest in his MacPro Racing Honda, while Huff’s Comtoyou Audi team-mate Frédéric Vervisch took seventh.

Cyan Racing Lynk & Co pair Thed Björk and Santiago Urrutia were eighth and ninth respectively, while John Filippi – drafted in for Comtoyou Audi this weekend – was the leading non-full time World Tour racer in tenth.

Lo Sze Ho, a winner in Macau in TCR Asia Challenge last weekend, was 11th in Hong Kong squad Evolve Racing’s Hyundai Elantra.

Australia’s Ben Bargwanna made light contact with the barriers during the session but was able to continue and finish the session in 12th place.

A second practice session will follow later today at 14:15 local time (CET+7).