Richard Verschoor set the fastest time of the final day of in-season testing for MP Motorsport, clocking in at 1:43.273, which was the top time ahead of Joshua Duerksen from AIX Racing.
In the morning session, Van Amersfoort Racing dominated the timesheets, securing a 1-2 finish. John Bennett led the charge with a 1:47.228, followed by teammate Rafael Villagómez in second place.
The morning session commenced with a flurry of activity as most drivers hit the track. Van Amersfoort Racing quickly rose to the top of the timing screens, with Rafael Villagómez and John Bennett alternating between positions in the lead. However, Bennett’s 1:47.228 stood out as the fastest time in the opening 15 minutes of the session, leaving Villagómez in second place by 0.271 seconds.
Throughout the session, Van Amersfoort Racing maintained its 1-2 position, while the rest of the field focused on long runs and race pace during the first three-hour segment of the day. AIX Racing made a move up to third and fourth place, with Cian Shields leading teammate Joshua Duerksen by a narrow margin of 0.012 seconds.
Oliver Goethe secured fifth place for MP Motorsport, ahead of PREMA Racing’s Sebastián Montoya and teammate Richard Verschoor. Arvid Lindblad made a remarkable comeback in the final 15 minutes, climbing up to eighth position and surpassing Day 2’s leader, Gabriele Minì. Luke Browning rounded out the top 10 finishers in the morning segment for Hitech TGR.
Amidst the busy morning, Leonardo Fornaroli emerged as the most active driver, logging an impressive 50 laps for Invicta Racing.
In the afternoon session, the focus shifted to further testing and refining the drivers’ skills.
The final session of the week commenced with several drivers making quick exits. Kush Maini secured the top spot early on, but Joshua Duerksen swiftly made three impressive improvements to claim the lead with a remarkable 1:46.042 in the first 15 minutes.
Dino Beganovic then took the top position, setting a time of 1:45.596 for the Hitech TGR driver. This performance earned him a spot in the top 10.
Unfortunately, the Red Flags were deployed for the first time on the final day after Oliver Goethe’s car came to a halt on track in the MP #5 car, necessitating a recovery.
Once the car was safely recovered, the session resumed, and Duerksen wasted no time in reclaiming the lead, setting a new time of 1:43.394. With just over half the session remaining, he demonstrated his exceptional skill and speed.
As the test neared its end, Verschoor emerged as the fastest driver, clocking a time of 1:43.273, surpassing Duerksen’s earlier record by a remarkable 0.121 seconds.
Sami Meguetounif further solidified his position as a formidable contender, becoming the only other driver within half a second of the leader. He secured a third-place finish for TRIDENT.
Shields also made a late-stage improvement, securing a fourth-place position for AlX. However, Goethe managed to overtake him in the final five minutes of the session.
Beganovic rounded out the top 10, followed by Maini, Montoya, Victor Martins, and Villagómez.
The upcoming Round 2 will take place at the Bahrain International Circuit from April 11 to 13.