Augusto Farfus continued to prove the man to beat during free practice at the Oschersleben, the Brazilian going quickest in improving conditions.
Having gone fastest in the wet morning session, Farfus was again in charge in the dry to lead a BMW 1-2, the title contender ahead of team-mate Jorg Muller by just under two tenths of a second.
Farfus' key rivals for the title, however, remained well in contention, with Yvan Muller and Gabriele Tarquini chasing him down in third and fourth, albeit four and seventh tenths adrift respectively.
Rickard Rydell and Andy Priaulx kept a watching brief in fifth and sixth, ahead of Sergio Hernandez, Alain Menu, Tiago Monteiro and Rob Huff.
In the Independents' Trophy, Stefano D'Aste was quickest once again, but was this time just one thousandth of a second quicker than local driver Franz Engstler in his eponymous BMW 320si.
