Macau: Event Friday notes

Weather: Sunny and clear

Menu fastest in FIA World Touring Car Championship test

Chevrolet's Alain Menu upstaged the FIA World Touring Car Championship title contenders at Macau on Friday as he led the way during Friday's testing session for the season finale.

The Frenchman exchanged the top spot on the timesheets with reigning FIA WTCC champion Andy Priaulx throughout the 30-minute session, which was red flagged once when Jordi Gene crashed at the final corner and his car was left in a dangerous position.

It was only in the final minutes of the session that Menu was finally able to put in a time that his rivals could not better, allowing himself to hold on to the top spot until the end.

Behind him BMW's Priaulx held second place until the final minute, when first local hero Andre Couto demoted him and then in the dying second Augusto Farfus moved ahead of the pair of them to take second place in the standings.

Priaulx's fourth place will not bring him too much disappointment, however, with his main title rival Yvan Muller in the SEAT ending the session two places behind him. In between the championship contenders, in fifth place, was Alex Zanardi in the BMW.

Apart from Gene's crash, there were several other incidents during the session. Andrey Romanov and Miguel Freitas hit the barriers at Police in separate incidents, while Ao Chi Hong spun at Lisboa after hitting another car.

-credit: macau.grandprix.gov.mo