WestCoast Racing’s Gianni Morbidelli was the pace-setter in second practice for the TCR International Series in Bahrain, with the session stopped five minutes early due to a crash for Attila Tassi.
Morbidelli ended the session 0.424 seconds faster than the morning’s pace-setter Pepe Oriola, who was second fastest in his Craft-Bamboo Racing SEAT.
Jean-Karl Vernay was third quickest in his Leopard Racing Volkswagen, marking an improvement for the Frenchman, ahead of the second Craft-Bamboo Racing SEAT of James Nash in fourth.
The Honda Civics of WestCoast Racing team-mates Kevin Gleason and Aku Pellinen finished the session in fifth and sixth respectively, with the former only just with a second of Morbidelli’s pace.
Dušan Borković put his B3 Racing SEAT in seventh, ahead of the second Leopard Racing Golf GTi of reigning champion Stefano Comini in eighth. Comini had earlier led the time sheets before a raft of drivers pushed him down the timesheets.
Liqui Moly Team Engstler’s Davit Kajaia and B3 Racing’s Mat’o Homola completed the top ten, with both drivers more than two seconds adrift of the fastest time.
Also going off the circuit at the same time as B3 Racing’s Tassi were Target Competition Opel duo Jordi Oriola and Andrea Belicchi, who ended the session in 12th and 16th positions respectively.
The new Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR once again showed encouraging performance, ending the session in 11th position at the hands of Michela Cerruti.
Qualifying takes place on Saturday, ahead of the first race of the season later in the afternoon.
Session results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 10 | Gianni MORBIDELLI |  |
West Coast Racing | Honda Civic TCR | 7 | 2:13.347 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 74 | Pepe ORIOLA |  |
Team Craft-Bamboo LUKOIL | SEAT León TCR | 7 | 2:13.771 | 0.424 |
| 3 | 2 | Jean-Karl VERNAY |  |
Leopard Racing | Volkswagen Golf Gti TCR | 7 | 2:13.784 | 0.437 |
| 4 | 54 | James NASH |  |
Team Craft-Bamboo LUKOIL | SEAT León TCR | 7 | 2:14.283 | 0.936 |
| 5 | 24 | Kevin GLEASON |  |
West Coast Racing | Honda Civic TCR | 6 | 2:14.326 | 0.979 |
| 6 | 14 | Aku PELLINEN |  |
West Coast Racing | Honda Civic TCR | 6 | 2:14.571 | 1.224 |
| 7 | 62 | Dušan BORKOVIĆ |  |
B3 Racing Team Hungary | SEAT León TCR | 7 | 2:14.621 | 1.274 |
| 8 | 1 | Stefano Comini |  |
Leopard Racing | Volkswagen Golf Gti TCR | 8 | 2:14.907 | 1.560 |
| 9 | 7 | Davit KAJAIA |  |
Liqui Moly Team Engstler | Volkswagen Golf Gti TCR | 6 | 2:15.530 | 2.183 |
| 10 | 70 | Mat’o HOMOLA |  |
B3 Racing Team Hungary | SEAT León TCR | 6 | 2:15.850 | 2.503 |
| 11 | 88 | Michela CERRUTI | |
Mulsanne Racing | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 8 | 2:15.994 | 2.647 |
| 12 | 33 | Jordi ORIOLA | |
Target Competition | Opel Astra TCR | 5 | 2:16.145 | 2.798 |
| 13 | 77 | Sergey AFANASYEV |  |
Team Craft-Bamboo LUKOIL | SEAT León TCR | 6 | 2:16.161 | 2.814 |
| 14 | 32 | Luigi FERRARA | |
Top Run Motorsport | Subaru Sti TCR | 5 | 2:17.451 | 4.104 |
| 15 | 8 | Mikhail GRACHEV | |
Liqui Moly Team Engstler | Volkswagen Golf Gti TCR | 7 | 2:17.733 | 4.386 |
| 16 | 23 | Andrea BELICCHI | |
Target Competition | Opel Astra TCR | 3 | 2:17.871 | 4.524 |
| 17 | 78 | Salman AL KHALIFA |  |
Bas Koeten Racing | SEAT León Cup Racer | 7 | 2:18.689 | 5.342 |
| 18 | 9 | TASSI |  |
B3 Racing Team Hungary | SEAT León TCR | 4 | 2:19.464 | 6.117 |
| 19 | 79 | Hussain KARIMI | |
Bas Koeten Racing | SEAT León Cup Racer | 8 | 2:23.509 | 10.162 |