ILMC/LMS, Silverstone - Free Practice 1 Report

We'll be commenting - a lot! - on the new facilities at Silverstone in due course but for now we'll restrict ourselves with discussion of the race entrants rather than the venue.

There's precious little in terms of new machinery to talk about - just the #70 Kessel Racing Ferrari and reliveried #93 Genoa FLM Oreca (running in the colours of The London Project).

Whilst the Kessel car was out and lapping, the first session saw the #93 FLM car pit bound with electrical gremlins, not the start that this new effort was hoping for.

The timing screens show clearly how modern the ILMC has become - Some teams are listed only in text speak - or at least we think that's what the #39 LOL Perez.Com line means!

Aside from spins and gravely moments there was precious little incident during the session, a clash between the Strakka HPD and JMW Ferrari sending both to pitlane and leaving debris on the track.

Stephane Sarrazin topped the times with a mid session 1:47.755 in the #8 Peugeot 908 as he overhauled Marcel Fassler's best time of earlier in the session.

Guillaume Moreau was the quickest petrol fuelled runner for much of the session aboard the #15 OAK Pescarolo but was overhauled late in the session by Neel Jani in the #12 Rebellion Lola Toyota, the Swiss fourth fastest in the session.

It was an Oreca Nissan 1,2 at the end of the session after both Jonny Kane and Tom Kimber Smith both briefly topped the LMP2 order before first Mathias Beche (#46 TDS Racing Oreca 03 Nissan) and then LMP2 newcomer Jean Karl Vernay (#26 Signatech Oreca Nissan) went quicker - Vernay ended the session as top dog - 1:53.465.

In other LMP2 news Jean Francois Yvon replaces Andrea Barlesi aboard the #35 OAK Pescarolo here and for the remainder of the ILMC season.

Julien Schell topped the FLM order in the #95 Pegasus Racing Oreca with Gimmi Bruni grabbing GTE Pro bragging rights late in the session from Fred Mako - the #51 AF Corse 458 ahead of the #59 Luxury Racing car - Rob Bell third fastest in the JMW Ferrari, a 458 1,2,3.

With wet weather forecast tomorrow and perhaps for raceday too those times might be amongst the fastest we see!