Moslers and TVRs at the head of the times again this morning, so no surprises there: the Balfe car was quickest, as it was yesterday, with Steve Hyde going second fastest right at the end, but six tenths slower than #33. Gareth Evans had earlier tried to get it all wrong into the Knickerbrook Chicane, and nearly took out Phil Hindley’s Porsche as he slithered onto the grass with everything locked up.

The Master Ultima was a very good fifth fastest, with Aaron Scott very pleased with progress (still using the old engine), and Hindley was sixth. Peter Le Bas was seventh for Xero, but ended up in the gravel at the exit of Knickerbrook.

Griffin and Pearce were predictably quickest in the Cup Class, but Neil Cunningham was content to leave the #66 Morgan to Adam Sharpe, the Kiwi being confident of setting a good time this afternoon.

Pitbound was the debuting Brunswick Motorsport Lotus Elise of Peter Cate and Vincenzo Sospiri: a fuel leak was spotted as the car was wheeled out for the session, traced to a hairline crack in the fuel rail. Bad news indeed for the team who set by far the fastest lap for a Lotus yesterday, Peter Cate taking the silver Elise round two seconds quicker than the Team Wireless version. A frantic search for a spare has taken team members to Rover dealers far and wide: Vincenzo Sospiri still needs to qualify in the car, having last raced here at Oulton Park in 1992!

Phil Hindley is delighted with the progress so far with the #9 GruppeM Tech 9 Porsche 996 Turbo (below), which will make its race debut in the team’s hands this weekend. “This is the same car which was run by BW Motorsport in the GT class a couple of seasons ago: we took over the programme at the end of that season and the car has been in the workshop ever since. I persuaded (car owner) Paul Hogan that the car had great potential as a GTO car and we’ve been working really hard to prep the car ever since. We had a mapping session with the smaller restrictors and a test session at Pembrey last week.” The good news for Porsche fans is that the team plans to complete the season with the car, using the remaining races to develop it before a full 2004 season with the Turbo car as the Tech 9 squad’s lead car.

“We had the choice of doing our development behind closed doors or proving the car in race conditions. For me getting out there amongst the real competition is always the way to go”.

For the time being though it’s the race development work that counts, sixth quickest in the free practice session was a very good start: “We’ve got good grip at the front – occasionally, and we’ve got good grip at the back – occasionally. The trick is to put it all together now.”

Marco Attard is a welcome returnee to the British GT grid this weekend for a one-off appearance in a GTO class Ferrari 360 (above), partnering Robin Ward. The #35 car is not however the car prepared for Attard last season by Chris Crawford’s Group C Engineering. ”This is actually John McLoughlin’s car (the MSB Motorsport car campaigned by Marino Franchitti and Ralf Kelleners at Sebring last year)." Attard’s own car has now been sold to a Scandanavian racer.

There is apparently a possibility that Paul Whight’s RML prepared Lotus Elise may be repaired in time for the race tomorrow, after a heavy shunt in testing yesterday.