Monlau Motorsport’s Viktor Andersson set the pace in the opening free practice session for the FIA TCR World Tour and TCR Spain in Valencia, lapping the outer circuit almost three tenths of a second quicker than SP Compétition’s Aurélien Comte.
Swede Andersson was on top of the times throughout the half-hour session, which followed on from a three-hour test open to all drivers in the TCR World Tour and TCR Spain earlier in the morning.
With Comte in second, it meant it was a CUPRA 1-2 at the top of the times, with the best of the rest being third-placed Jenson Brickley in his ALM Motorsport-run Honda.
Jimmy Clairet put his ALM Honda in fourth, whilst the top Geely Cyan Racing driver was Yann Ehrlacher in fifth, 0.824 seconds off the pace.
Mikel Azcona was fastest of the Hyundai drivers in sixth, whilst two-time TCR World Tour champion Norbert Michelisz was 11th, over a second off the pace.
25 cars took to the circuit, with 26 entered for the weekend’s races.
Second practice gets underway at 17:00 CEST (16:00 BST), whilst qualifying is at 10:45 CEST (09:45 BST) on Saturday.
Session result
| POS | NO | NAT | DRIVER | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 10 |  |
Viktor ANDERSSON | Monlau Motorsport | CUPRA Leon VZ TCR | 15 | 1:19.170 | – |
| 2 | 107 |  |
Aurélien COMTE | SP Compétition | CUPRA Leon VZ TCR | 16 | 1:19.465 | 0.295 |
| 3 | 246 |  |
Jenson BRICKLEY | ALM Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR | 16 | 1:19.693 | 0.523 |
| 4 | 121 | |
Jimmy CLAIRET | ALM Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR | 12 | 1:19.695 | 0.525 |
| 5 | 168 | |
Yann EHRLACHER | Geely Cyan Racing | Geely Preface TCR | 13 | 1:19.994 | 0.824 |
| 6 | 196 |  |
Mikel AZCONA | BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai Elantra N EV TCR | 12 | 1:20.013 | 0.843 |
| 7 | 181 |  |
Santiago URRUTIA | Geely Cyan Racing | Geely Preface TCR | 13 | 1:20.034 | 0.864 |
| 8 | 111 | |
Thed BJÖRK | Geely Cyan Racing | Geely Preface TCR | 12 | 1:20.043 | 0.873 |
| 9 | 81 |  |
Damiano REDUZZI | Trico WRT | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 16 | 1:20.202 | 1.032 |
| 10 | 437 |  |
Sten-Dorian PIIRIMÄGI | ALM Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR | 16 | 1:20.219 | 1.049 |
| 11 | 105 |  |
Norbert MICHELISZ | BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai Elantra N EV TCR | 16 | 1:20.244 | 1.074 |
| 12 | 155 |  |
MA Qing Hua | Geely Cyan Racing | Geely Preface TCR | 16 | 1:20.323 | 1.153 |
| 13 | 24 | |
Julien BRICHÉ | JSB Compétition | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 15 | 1:20.666 | 1.496 |
| 14 | 145 | |
Raphaël FOURNIER | JSB Compétition | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 14 | 1:20.903 | 1.733 |
| 15 | 481 | |
Erik ZABALA | Vaque Motorsport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 16 | 1:21.017 | 1.847 |
| 16 | 472 | |
Sandro PELATTI | SP Compétition | CUPRA Leon VZ TCR | 15 | 1:21.060 | 1.890 |
| 17 | 12 | |
Gabriele COVINI | BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 7 | 1:21.133 | 1.963 |
| 18 | 13 |  |
Manuel FERNANDES JR | Vannin Motorsport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 12 | 1:21.395 | 2.225 |
| 19 | 441 |  |
René Junker POVLSEN | ALM Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR | 14 | 1:21.498 | 2.328 |
| 20 | 431 | |
Mathieu CASALONGA | Team Clairet Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 16 | 1:21.648 | 2.478 |
| 21 | 420 |  |
Sebastian QUIRNO | Monlau Motorsport | CUPRA Leon VZ TCR | 13 | 1:21.655 | 2.485 |
| 22 | 405 |  |
Demir ERÖGE | ALM Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR | 18 | 1:22.098 | 2.928 |
| 23 | 433 | |
Samuel CHALIGNE | Team Clairet Sport | CUPRA Leon VZ TCR | 16 | 1:22.232 | 3.062 |
| 24 | 15 | |
Luke SARGEANT | Vannin Motorsport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 12 | 1:22.744 | 3.574 |
| 25 | 411 | |
Busian FONTAN ALCALDE | RX Pro Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 17 | 1:22.933 | 3.763 |
| 26 | 419 |  |
Enzo GIANFRATTI | DSOEM Motorsport | CUPRA Leon VZ TCR | 0 | No time | N/A |