TCR Europe series title hopeful Ignacio Montenegro topped the final practice session of the day at Valencia, catapulting his ALM Motorsport Honda Civic to the top of the timesheets in the closing minutes. He outpaced the CUPRA of Jimmy Clairet by over half a second.

Championship leader Franco Girolami initially set the benchmark during the session, held in 30-degree heat late on Friday. However, the Monlau Motorsport CUPRA driver was soon overtaken by the two ALM Motorsport Hondas of Ruben Volt and Montenegro.

Guest entry Jimmy Clairet then moved to the top of the leaderboard, joining a fierce battle between Girolami and his closest rival, Aurélien Comte, for the top three positions. Both drivers traded second place during the final part of the session.

With just over five minutes remaining, Montenegro became the first driver to break the 1:41 barrier, posting a time of 1:40.709—half a second clear of Clairet. Montenegro's time was never bettered and he finishes the session on top, while Montenegro’s two title rivals were third and fourth fastest.

Montenegro’s team-mate Ruben Volt rounded out the top five, finishing eight-tenths of a second slower. The top ten cars were all within a second of the Argentinian's time.

Qualifying begins at 12:00 CEST tomorrow and will be streamed live on the TCR Europe series' Facebook page, and on YouTube.