Team Craft-Bamboo Lukoil’s Pepe Oriola set the pace in first practice for the TCR International Series at the Salzburgring, posting a time just 0.067 seconds faster than WestCoast Racing’s Gianni Morbidelli.
Oriola’s lap of 1:27.697 put the Spaniard to the top of the times with just over ten minutes of the session remaining, with the Honda of Morbidelli second quickest. A late lap from the Italian saw him rise from fifth to second fastest in the closing minutes of the half-hour session.
“I did not get out to make a lap, actually I did a race simulation on used tires, so I am quite happy with the result,” said Oriola. “Not only the tyres held without any problem, but the pace was very good lap after lap. I was also lucky to have very clear laps. I also could experience that slipstream works a lot here, as I felt being towed almost 200 meters behind the car in front.”
Morbidelli’s American team-mate Kevin Gleason was third fastest, ahead of the Target Competition SEAT of Stefano Comini in fourth.
Craft-Bamboo duo Jordi Gené and Sergey Afanasyev were fifth and sixth quickest, with the latter having been the pace-setter in the early stages of the session.
SEAT drivers completed the top ten, with Liqui Moly Team Engstler’s Mikhail Grachev in seventh. Zengő Motorsport’s Zsolt Sazbó was eighth, ahead of Target pairing Michel Nykjær and Andrea Belicchi.
Campos Racing’s Markus Östreich, joining the series for the first time this weekend, was 13th quickest, 1.602 seconds off the pace, whilst Fernando Monje failed to complete any laps in the other Opel Astra. Monje’s team were working on remapping his car’s engine after Friday’s test session.
Second practice takes place at 12:05 CEST (11:05 BST).
Session results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 74 | Pepe ORIOLA |  |
Team Craft-Bamboo LUKOIL | SEAT León Racer | 17 | 1:27.697 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 10 | Gianni MORBIDELLI |  |
West Coast Racing | Honda Civic TCR | 12 | 1:27.764 | 0.067 |
| 3 | 24 | Kevin GLEASON |  |
West Coast Racing | Honda Civic TCR | 15 | 1:27.828 | 0.131 |
| 4 | 25 | Stefano COMINI |  |
Target Competition | SEAT León Racer | 13 | 1:27.889 | 0.192 |
| 5 | 88 | Jordi GENÉ | |
Team Craft-Bamboo LUKOIL | SEAT León Racer | 13 | 1:27.892 | 0.195 |
| 6 | 77 | Sergey AFANASYEV |  |
Team Craft-Bamboo LUKOIL | SEAT León Racer | 17 | 1:27.934 | 0.237 |
| 7 | 8 | Mikhail GRACHEV | |
Liqui Moly Team Engstler | SEAT León Racer | 15 | 1:28.058 | 0.361 |
| 8 | 46 | Zsolt Dávid SZABÓ |  |
Zengő Motorsport | SEAT León Racer | 16 | 1:28.245 | 0.548 |
| 9 | 17 | Michel NYKJÆR |  |
Target Competition | SEAT León Racer | 13 | 1:28.247 | 0.550 |
| 10 | 33 | Andrea BELICCHI | |
Target Competition | SEAT León Racer | 13 | 1:28.308 | 0.611 |
| 11 | 20 | Igor SKUZ |  |
West Coast Racing | Honda Civic TCR | 14 | 1:28.428 | 0.731 |
| 12 | 7 | Lorenzo VEGLIA | |
Liqui Moly Team Engstler | SEAT León Racer | 11 | 1:28.683 | 0.986 |
| 13 | 16 | Markus ÖSTREICH |  |
Campos Racing | Opel Astra OPC | 11 | 1:29.299 | 1.602 |
| 14 | 34 | Bas SCHOUTEN |  |
ST Motorsport / Bas Koeten Racing | SEAT León Racer | 15 | 1:29.382 | 1.685 |
| 15 | 19 | Fernando MONJE | |
Campos Racing | Opel Astra OPC | 2 | No time | N/A |