The cars ran very few laps during Saturday's second practice session to keep the tyres in good shape for the afternoon's qualifying.

One pairing who did put in a major effort was the Bobbi/Palttala crew from Marc VDS Racing team who covered 23 laps in their Ford GT.

The four Maserati MC12s opted to limit the number of laps they ran. Longin/Mueller put in a solid showing to register the fourth fastest time (1:36.733) in the No.33 car. They completed only eight laps but improved on their morning practice time by three seconds.

In tenth came the No.1 car driven by Bartels/Bertolini from the Vitaphone Racing Team (1:37.075 from nine laps covered). Their stable mates, Bernoldi/Ramos, set a time of 1:37.075 during their twelve laps). The final Maserati, the No.34 Triple H Team Hegersport car driven by Pier Guidi/Verdonck, was thirteenth in 1:37.215 (the pairing ran nine laps).

Top of the timesheet came Mutsch/Westbrook, in the No.5 Ford GT Matech, with a time of 1:36.051.

Bertolini, Bernoldi, Longin and Pier Guidi were the Maserati drivers who took to the track.

The circuit was not the only novelty as the pairings were also untested: Longin, making a return after missing Portimao, climbed into the No.33 car alongside German Alex Mueller. Mueller’s usual team mate, Altfrid Heger, is busy driving in another series this weekend.

In the No.34 car was another new crew: Nico Verdonck (who appeared in his home race at Spa flanked by Longin) has Alessandro Pier Guidi as a partner. This is Pier Guidi’s third consecutive race in the Triple H Team Hegersport Maserati MC12.

The first eighty minutes were run in sunshine though the temperatures did not top 8°C (air) and 10°C on the track surface.

All the drivers had a stint on the track. Bernoldi/Ramos, in the No. 2 car, were the quickest Maserati crew in a time of 1:37.829 – good enough for eighth. The overall leaders, Bartels/Bertolini, posted the twelfth best time (1:38.444), while Pier Guidi/Verdonck came in fifteenth after having to cut short their session with a technical problem. The No.34 Maserati MC12, with Longin/Mueller on board, came nineteenth.

The morning’s best time was clocked by Kox/Haase in the team Reiter Lamborghini Murcielago 670 R-SV (1:36.942).