Johan Kristoffersson moved Volkswagen to the top of the times in second practice for the FIA World Touring Car Cup on the streets of Vila Real, more than three tenths of a second ahead of the Hyundai of Norbert Michelisz.
Kristoffersson put in his quickest lap in the closing minute of the session, with the former World Rallycross racer clocking a lap of 2 minutes 0.110 seconds, comfortably clear of the next fastest car.
Michelisz likewise went quick late on, pipping Ehrlacher by less than a tenth of a second, the Frenchman having been fastest with his lap with ten minutes to go in the session until the duo ahead usurped him.
Cyan Racing’s Thed Björk was next up behind his team-mate in fourth, as only two of the four Lynk & Co drivers broke into the top ten.
Last year’s race one pole-sitter Rob Huff was fifth fastest, ahead of the best CUPRA of Comtoyou Racing’s Aurélien Panis in sixth.
Mehdi Bennani made it three SLR Golfs inside the top ten in seventh, ahead of the best Honda of championship leader Esteban Guerrieri in eighth.
BRC Racing’s Nicky Catsburg and Team Mulsanne’s Ma Qing Hua completed the top ten. The latter will have a ten-place grid penalty applied for race one after he picked up a third driving infraction.
It was once again a trying session for the Audi drivers, as Jean-Karl Vernay again was the best RS3 driver in 13th, almost a second off the pace.
Yvan Muller had to return to the pits half-way through the running when he hit a kerb and broke his front-right wheel, leaving the Lynk & Co driver down in 23rd.
The session was red-flagged after just ten minutes when PWR racing’s Mikel Azcona made contact with fellow CUPRA racer Tom Coronel at Turn 11.
The contact broke Coronel’s right-rear suspension, and when the rubbing tyre caught fire, he had to stop on the circuit to allow the marshals to extinguish the flames.
Qualifying for race one is scheduled to get underway at 11:00 GMT / BST (12:00 CEST).
Session results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 14 | Johan KRISTOFFERSSON |  |
SLR Volkswagen | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 11 | 2:00.110 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 5 | Norbert MICHELISZ |  |
BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 10 | 2:00.467 | 0.357 |
| 3 | 68 | Yann EHRLACHER |  |
Cyan Performance Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 11 | 2:00.552 | 0.442 |
| 4 | 11 | Thed BJÖRK | |
Cyan Racing Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 12 | 2:00.602 | 0.492 |
| 5 | 12 | Rob HUFF |  |
SLR VW Motorsport | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 10 | 2:00.634 | 0.524 |
| 6 | 21 | Aurélien PANIS | |
Comtoyou DHL Team CUPRA Racing | CUPRA TCR | 11 | 2:00.656 | 0.546 |
| 7 | 25 | Mehdi BENNANI |  |
SLR VW Motorsport | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 11 | 2:00.787 | 0.677 |
| 8 | 86 | Esteban GUERRIERI |  |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 13 | 2:00.810 | 0.700 |
| 9 | 88 | Nicky CATSBURG |  |
BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 12 | 2:00.882 | 0.772 |
| 10 | 55 | Ma QING HUA |  |
Team Mulsanne | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 12 | 2:00.954 | 0.844 |
| 11 | 31 | Kevin CECCON |  |
Team Mulsanne | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 12 | 2:00.989 | 0.879 |
| 12 | 8 | Augusto FARFUS |  |
BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 12 | 2:01.019 | 0.909 |
| 13 | 69 | Jean-Karl VERNAY | |
Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 11 | 2:01.053 | 0.943 |
| 14 | 29 | Néstor GIROLAMI | |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 8 | 2:01.428 | 1.318 |
| 15 | 18 | Tiago MONTEIRO |  |
KCMG | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 12 | 2:01.492 | 1.382 |
| 16 | 9 | Attila TASSI | |
KCMG | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 11 | 2:01.499 | 1.389 |
| 17 | 96 | Mikel AZCONA |  |
PWR Racing | CUPRA TCR | 14 | 2:01.601 | 1.491 |
| 18 | 1 | Gabriele TARQUINI | |
BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 12 | 2:01.636 | 1.526 |
| 19 | 22 | Frédéric VERVISCH |  |
Comtoyou Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 11 | 2:01.717 | 1.607 |
| 20 | 111 | Andy PRIAULX | |
Cyan Performance Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 14 | 2:02.103 | 1.993 |
| 21 | 33 | Benjamin LEUCHTER |  |
SLR Volkswagen | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 11 | 2:02.303 | 2.193 |
| 22 | 10 | Niels LANGEVELD | |
Comtoyou Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 12 | 2:02.326 | 2.216 |
| 23 | 100 | Yvan MULLER | |
Cyan Racing Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 7 | 2:02.862 | 2.752 |
| 24 | 37 | Daniel HAGLÖF | |
PWR Racing | CUPRA TCR | 13 | 2:03.740 | 3.630 |
| 25 | 52 | Gordon SHEDDEN | |
Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 10 | 2:04.176 | 4.066 |
| 26 | 50 | Tom CORONEL | |
Comtoyou DHL Team CUPRA Racing | CUPRA TCR | 3 | 2:04.386 | 4.276 |