HTP Motorsport Mercedes driver Franck Perera topped the timing charts during Friday practice at Circuit Paul Ricard, ahead of the third round of the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup.
Perera, who shares the No. 84 Mercedes AMG-GT3 with Maximilian Buhk and Jimmy Eriksson, turned in a time of 1:57.614s during the 90-minute afternoon window.
The factory-backed HTP squad is aiming to regain the BGTS Endurance Cup points lead at the second-longest race of the year, with the Grasser Racing Lamborghini crew currently holding a 17-point advantage following victories at Monza and Silverstone.
Because the Paul Ricard 1000km is roughly double the length of the conventional three-hour endurance rounds, the number of points available for the top six finishers is increased.
Perera's time was 0.170 seconds quicker than Jonny Adam, who recorded the second-best time behind the wheel of the Oman Racing Aston Martin Vantage V12.
Fresh from winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans GTE-Pro category last weekend, Adam's 1:57.784s marker set the benchmark for the Am-Cup category.
The two works Bentley Continental GT3s fared well with the third and fifth-best times, sandwiching the No. 85 HTP Motorsport Mercedes in fourth.
The championship-leading Grasser Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 driven by Mirko Bortolotti, Andrea Caldarelli and Christian Engelhart lapped in the top-quarter of the 58-strong field, 0.962 seconds adrift of Perera's effort.
Qualifying for the Paul Ricard 1000km is due to take place tomorrow (Saturday, June 24th) at 10:00 local time (CEST).
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