The #63 Grasser Racing Lamborghini Huracan topped pre-qualifying ahead of this weekend’s Blancpain GT Series race at Silverstone thanks to a rapid lap by Mirko Bortolotti.
The session saw a trio of leading contenders break the two-minute barrier around the 5.9km circuit. The first was Maro Engel (#4 Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG), who was soon beaten by Davide Rigon (#72 SMP Racing Ferrari 488).
Bortolotti then trumped them both with a time of 1m59.640s in the car he shares with Christian Engelhart and Rolf Ineichen, bettering fellow countryman Rigon by a narrow 0.074s.
Ultimately those were the only three runners to reach the 1m59s bracket, with the #63 leading the #72 and the #4 in the final classification. The #88 AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG and #76 R-Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage rounded out the top-five.
The #74 Ram Racing Mercedes-AMG was the quickest Pro-Am runner, with Tom Onslow-Cole recording the eighth best time overall. One spot behind him in the overall order, and fastest among the Silver Cup contenders, was the #333 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari 488. David Perel was aboard the Maranello machine for the class-leading lap. In Am Cup, the #15 Boutsen Ginion Lamborghini Huracan ermerged on top courtesy of Renaud Kuppens.
The majority of the session was run in dry conditions, but rain fell during the final 15 minutes to effectively set the order with time to spare. Several cars continued to run on Pirelli’s wet weather tyres, though similar conditions are not forecast for Sunday.
The 90-minute run was also interrupted by a red flag period, caused by the #107 Bentley Team M-Sport car finding its way into the gravel. It was a tough session for the British squad – which had paced free practice – as the #108 machine spent much of pre-qualifying in the pits with a technical issue.
Attention now shifts to a busy Sunday at Silverstone. Qualifying takes place at 09.40, setting the grid for a three-hour race that kicks off at 15.00. All of the action will be aired live on the Blancpain GT Series website and across its social media channels.