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Intercontinental GT Challenge

Wittmann, BMW Team SRM Top Friday at Bathurst

Marco Wittmann quickest on Friday at Bathurst…

Photo: John Dagys

Photo: John Dagys

BMW Team SRM has ended the opening day at Bathurst on top, with Marco Wittmann leading the way in the fourth and final Free Practice session Friday at Mount Panorama.

The BMW factory driver, in his Bathurst debut, reeled off a 2:03.319 early in the 50-minute session in his No. 60 BMW M6 GT3, edging out the No. 75 Jamec Pem Racing Audi R8 LMS by 0.694 seconds.

Wittmann is set to share driving duties in the factory-backed BMW with Australian veterans Mark Winterbottom and Steve Richards.

“Definitely it was clean lap, which is important here,” Wittmann told Radio Le Mans. “Today went pretty well for us. It’s just Free Practice but tomorrow is a day that counts.”

FP1 pacesetter Maranello Motorsports was third quickest, with the No. 88 Ferrari 488 GT3 recording a 2:04.322 in the day’s final session, while the No. 12 Competition Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R was fourth overall and quickest of the GT3 Pro-Am competitors.

The No. 22 STM/HTP Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 completed the top-five, with defending race winners Tekno Autosports making it six different manufacturers in the top-six on Friday.

FP4 saw only a single red flag, for the No. 55 RA Motorsports Ginetta G55 GT4 of Tim Berryman, who spun off-track with suspension failure.

The fifth and final practice session is on tap for Saturday morning, prior to qualifying and the Top 10 Qualifying Shootout in the afternoon.

RESULTS: Free Practice 4

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John

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