Van der Linde sends Attempto-Audi to the top in second Brands Hatch practice

Van der Linde sends Attempto-Audi to the top in second Brands Hatch practice

Kelvin van der Linde put the #66 Attempto-Audi on top in FP2 at Brands Hatch, edging out the similar R8 LMS of Team WRT.

The South African ace delivered a pace-setting lap with a little over 10 minutes remaining in the session, then immediately bettered his own time on the next tour.

Frederic Vervisch was second in the #17 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT machine – just as teammate Stuart Leonard had been in this morning’s opening session. Vervisch lapped a shade under three tenths shy of Van der Linde’s best effort.

The #88 AKKA-Mercedes completed the top three, with Raffaele Marciello setting a quick time early in the session before handing over to teammate Michael Meadows.

Elsewhere there were promising signs for the Emil Frey Lexus Racing squad, with Stephane Ortelli putting the #114 entry eighth in FP2.

The session was interrupted by a brief red flag after Jack Manchester spun into the gravel. The car made no contact with the barriers but became beached, necessitating a quick stoppage to retrieve the #90 AKKA-Mercedes.

The #35 AKKA-run SMP Racing car did not run in the session following a heavy crash in FP1, but the team are hopeful of having the Mercedes-AMG back out for qualifying.

Two 20-minute sessions will set the grid for tomorrow’s races, with the first getting underway at 16.00. Like all of this weekend’s action, qualifying will be screened live on the Blancpain GT Series website.