Rob Huff managed to push his Audi RS 3 LMS TCR to the top of the timetables during the first practice session for the TCR Italian Festival at Vallelunga.
‘Huffy’ set his lap, a 1:40.524, during the first half of the session which would keep him in front till the chequered flag dropped.
Lynk & Co’s Thed Björk attempted to match his time not long after but ultimately just fell short. The Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR driver finished the session in second place and two-hundredths of a second behind.
The top three were completed by Bjork’s teammate Yann Ehrlacher who set a time of 1:40.675, only a tenth adrift from his Swedish colleague. With Ehrlacher being second in the championship and only three points separating him from leading, Vallelunga might present a prime opportunity for the Frenchman.
Fourth place saw the first of the Audis in the form of Frédéric Vervisch. Vervisch led during after the first ten minutes of the session but was pushed down as the session progressed. Ultimately, his time of 1:40.748 wasn’t quite enough to keep him in the top three.
Championship leader Nobert Michelisz wound up fifth with a time of 1:40.750, over two-tenths behind Huff. Teammate Mikel Azcona suffered an off-track excursion at turn five and a pitlane speeding investigation on his way to sixth place. Azcona was told to report to the stewards following the session.
Néstor Girolami finished seventh with the remaining Link & Co duo of Qing Hua Ma and Santiago Urrutia close behind.
SP Compétition’s Aurélien Comte completed the top ten in his Cupra Leon Competición TCR with a time of 1:41.194. This is the first time the CUPRAs have been seen in the TCR World Tour as Comte and Sylvain Pussier are the first drivers to enter the model.
Second practice is scheduled to begin tomorrow at 09:05 CEST (8:05 BST).
Session results
| POS | NO | NAT | DRIVER | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 179 |  |
Rob HUFF | Audi Sport Team Comtoyou | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 15 | 1:40.524 | – |
| 2 | 111 |  |
Thed BJÖRK | Cyan Racing Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR | 9 | 1:40.541 | 0.017 |
| 3 | 168 |  |
Yann EHRLACHER | Cyan Racing Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR | 7 | 1:40.675 | 0.151 |
| 4 | 122 |  |
Frédéric VERVISCH | Audi Sport Team Comtoyou | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 14 | 1:40.748 | 0.224 |
| 5 | 105 |  |
Norbert MICHELISZ | BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 12 | 1:40.750 | 0.226 |
| 6 | 196 |  |
Mikel AZCONA | BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 9 | 1:40.775 | 0.251 |
| 7 | 129 |  |
Néstor GIROLAMI | ALM Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR | 15 | 1:40.905 | 0.381 |
| 8 | 155 |  |
MA Qing Hua | Cyan Racing Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR | 12 | 1:41.035 | 0.511 |
| 9 | 112 |  |
Santiago URRUTIA | Cyan Racing Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR | 4 | 1:41.124 | 0.600 |
| 10 | 76 | |
Aurélien COMTE | SP Compétition | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR | 5 | 1:41.194 | 0.670 |
| 11 | 22 |  |
Kobe PAUWELS | Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 15 | 1:41.364 | 0.840 |
| 12 | 27 | |
John FILIPPI | Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 14 | 1:41.394 | 0.870 |
| 13 | 18 |  |
Marco BUTTI | BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 12 | 1:41.697 | 1.173 |
| 14 | 31 | |
Kevin CECCON | Aggressive Team Italia | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 13 | 1:41.780 | 1.256 |
| 15 | 123 |  |
Mattias VAHTEL | ALM Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR | 14 | 1:42.281 | 1.757 |
| 16 | 77 | |
Sylvain PUSSIER | SP Compétition | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR | 14 | 1:42.516 | 1.992 |