The DTM field got its first taste of the Sachsenring this Friday under mostly cloudy skies as the sixth round of the championship got underway. With two free practice sessions on the schedule, teams and drivers had the chance to dial in their cars on the demanding 3.6-kilometre circuit ahead of qualifying and the races to come.

Free Practice 1: Jordan Pepper on top

Jordan Pepper (#7 TGI Team Lamborghini by GRT Lamborghini Huracán GT3) set the pace in Free Practice 1 with a 1m17.967sec lap, a time that would remain unbeaten throughout the day. He led Thomas Preining (#91 Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3 R) and Fabio Scherer (#3 HRT Ford Performance Ford Mustang GT3) in a tightly packed top three. The top ten was covered by less than a second, underlining how competitive the field is heading into the weekend.

Free Practice 1 – Top 5

  1. Jordan Pepper – TGI Team Lamborghini by GRT Lamborghini Huracán GT3 – 1:17.967
  2. Thomas Preining – Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3 R – 1:18.454 (+0.487)
  3. Fabio Scherer – HRT Ford Performance Ford Mustang GT3 – 1:18.579 (+0.612)
  4. Timo Glock – Dörr Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3 – 1:18.633 (+0.666)
  5. Mirko Bortolotti – ABT Lamborghini Huracán GT3 – 1:18.640 (+0.673)

Full results

Free Practice 2: Timo Glock fastest, but short of Pepper’s early pace

The second practice in the afternoon saw a change at the top of the timing sheets, but not the outright pace. Timo Glock (#16 Dörr Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3) thrilled his home crowd by going quickest of the session with a 1m18.024sec, though still just shy of Pepper’s morning benchmark. Glock led a Mercedes-AMG duo as championship leader Lucas Auer (#22 Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf Mercedes-AMG GT3) and Jules Gounon (#48 Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER Mercedes-AMG GT3) completed the top three, with Preining again featuring strongly in fourth.

Emil Frey Racing, however, struggled to break into the top ten in either session — a concern for Jack Aitken (#14 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3), who arrives at the Sachsenring second in the championship standings.

Free Practice 2 – Top 5

  1. Timo Glock – Dörr Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3 – 1:18.024
  2. Lucas Auer – Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf Mercedes-AMG GT3 – 1:18.175 (+0.151)
  3. Jules Gounon – Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER Mercedes-AMG GT3 – 1:18.196 (+0.172)
  4. Thomas Preining – Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3 R – 1:18.199 (+0.175)
  5. Mirko Bortolotti – ABT Sportsline Lamborghini Huracán GT3 – 1:18.230 (+0.206)

Full results

Tight field ahead of qualifying

Both sessions showed encouraging signs for Lamborghini, Porsche, and Mercedes-AMG, while BMW and Ferrari will be looking to close the gap overnight.

An extra challenge was thrown the way of Mirko Bortolotti (#1 ABT Sportsline Lamborghini Huracán GT3). The stewards handed the Italian a five-place grid penalty for Saturday’s race after collecting his third warning of the season.

With qualifying 1 scheduled for Saturday morning before Race 1 in the afternoon, the stage is set for another tightly fought weekend as the battle for the DTM championship continues at the Sachsenring.

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