GT Open - The 2024 season is rolling: Bartone-Schiller (GetSpeed Mercedes) fastest in free practice

2024 season of the International GT Open officially started today at the Autódromo do Algarve with the free practice sessions, which followed a day of private tests yesterday. After sunny and warm weather yesterday, conditions were more Atlantic today, with cool temperatures and drizzle in the first half of the day.

34 cars took the track at the season-opener, and the nice grid and group of drivers produced good-looking official group pictures!

The track was wet for free practice 1, with all best times being posted in the afternoon session, still on a track not completely dry. Jim Pla (SVC Mercedes) was the fastest in the wet (1.44.422), 0s786 ahead of Tom Jackson (GetSpeed Mercedes).

In the afternoon session, the Mercedes and the Ferraris proved fastest, but no less than 14 cars finished covered by one second.

The GetSpeed Mercedes of Anthony Bartone-Fabian Schiller was fastest, with a time of 1.42.032, beating the AF Corse Ferrari of Marinangeli-Abril by 0s244 and the GetSpeed Mercedes of Pierburg-Ikin (first in Pro-Am)by 0s523. Followed, with exactly the same time (-0s598) the Mercedes of Mettler (SPS) and Al Zubair (Al Manar).

The reigning Pro-Am champion AF Corse Ferrari of M.Pulcini-Cheever was sixth (-0s607) ahead of another duo of cars posting the same time (-0s620), the Olimp Racing Audi of M.Jedlinski-Basz and the Car collection Porsche of Hash-Fontana.

Top in the Am class (20th overall) were the reigning champions Neumann-Rumpfkeil in the Motopark Mercedes.

In the Bronze test, the Olimp Racing Ferrari of Krystian Korzeniowski-Stanislaw Jedlinski was the fastest (1.43.138).

No incidents were to report and the only no show of the GoodSpeed Racing team Mercedes, following a slight delay in preparation.