Ziggo Sport Tempesta driver Eddie Cheever led this afternoon's Pre-Qualifying session at Zandvoort. The Italian posted a 1m34.049s at the controls of the #93 Ferrari, toping the order by just 0.066s.
As was the case in this morning's Free Practice, the Bronze Cup runners were at the front of the overall classification throughout Pre-Qualifying. Cheever was followed by class rivals Christian Engelhart (#1 Grasser Racing Lamborghini) and Dennis Marschall (#74 Kessel Racing Ferrari), while Dylan Pereira (#66 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi) was sixth overall.
So, while the session provided an indication as to the competitive order in the Bronze class, the overall picture remains unclear. There were three Pro cars among the top 10 – one more than in Free Practice – led by Lucas Auer, who was fourth in the #48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG.
The Silver Cup leader was fifth overall. Marcos Siebert set a 1m34.203s aboard the #52 AF Corse - Francorchamps Motors Ferrari, though the car later found the barriers at Hugenholtzbocht with Jef Machiels at the wheel. This triggered the first of two red flag stoppages during Pre-Qualifying.
The best of the Gold Cup runners was Dutch ace Thierry Vermeulen in the #69 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari. The home favourite placed 10th overall, under three tenths shy of Cheever's benchmark. Less than a second covered the first 30 cars in Pre-Qualifying, while everyone managed to turn laps during the session.
The initial red flag caused visible damage to the #52 Ferrari, which was removed on a recovery vehicle with its rear wing missing. A second stoppage was required after the #26 Saintéloc Racing Audi spun and rejoined, though this did not prove as costly to the car.
The action steps up a gear tomorrow with Qualifying 1 at 10:00 and Race 1 at 15:00. The same format will be repeated on Sunday, with Qualifying 2 at 09:00 and Race 2 at 14:45. From this point onwards, all sessions will be streamed live on the GT World YouTube channel.
> Results: Pre-Qualifying