If anyone thought the competitors would be taking it easy during the opening practice sessions they were proved wrong, as the intensity of the King of the Hill challenge is already ramping up as the temperature increases and grip improves.
Reghard Roets slashed 2.3 seconds off his P1 time to top the session on 39.611 seconds, ahead of 2021 Modified Saloon Car winner Pieter Zeelie in the Toyota MR2 Super GT (39.762 sec) and Dawie Joubert (39.944 sec).
WRX star Johan Kristoffersson was fourth quickest, going 2.5 seconds faster in the all-electric Polo R1Xe, ahead of Aldo Scribante (Audi S4) on 41.353 seconds and five-time winner Franco Scribante in his radical multi-winged Nissan R35 GT-R.
Regular Top 10 Shootout contender Rui Campos unfortunately spun off the road and landed up in a ditch in the Shelby CanAm – he emerged unscathed but the car is damaged and has had to be withdrawn from the event. There have been two further retirements: Giovanni Fantin with a damaged rear axle in his Audi RS3, and James Temple with a mechanical failure in the Shelby Mustang Terlingua.
