DTM Norisring: Thomas Preining wins chaotic race
Preining, who started from sixth on the grid, triumphed thanks to a flawless strategy, beating Emil Frey drivers Jack Aitken and polesitter Thierry Vermeulen, who completed the podium in second and third place respectively.
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The race started with a dramatic incident in Turn 1, involving Marco Wittmann's BMW, the Lamborghinis of Mirko Bortolotti and Nicki Thiim, and Jules Gounon's Mercedes, all of which retired, while Morris Schuring's Porsche was damaged. The red flag was waved to recover the stricken cars and clear debris from the track.
The race restarted behind the safety car with polesitter Vermeulen maintaining the lead from Aitken and Preining, who had jumped from sixth to third in the first start.
A full-course yellow was called by race control when Fabio Scherer (HRT Ford) suffered a loose wheel; Tom Kalender slowed down to meet the delta time, but his Mercedes was hit from behind by Gilles Magnus' Aston Martin, and both had to retire.
'I wouldn't say I braked too early – drivers just sometimes don't anticipate it,' Kalender explained to ran.de. 'I saw three or four seconds left on the dash, which is normal.
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'That would've been the usual braking point. I don't know what the other driver was thinking, but it happened. You can't just vanish into thin air. It was a typical racing incident.'
Ayhancan Güven, Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3-R, Tom Kalender, Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf Mercedes-AMG GT3, Morris Schuring, Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3-R
Ayhancan Güven, Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3-R, Tom Kalender, Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf Mercedes-AMG GT3, Morris Schuring, Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3-R
Once the race resumed, the leading pack came in for their first pitstops, but leader Vermeulen was overcut by Aitken and Preining.
More attrition occurred in the second half of the race, with Ricardo Feller rear-ending Luca Engstler when braking for the first corner, which ended the Spa 24 Hours winner's race while Feller was able to continue.
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At the front, Preining was closing in on Aitken, trailing the Ferrari driver by less than a second. The 2023 DTM champion braked too late when he made his initial attack at the Dutzendteich hairpin, but then pitted one lap earlier; a swifter service from the Manthey squad put him right on Aitken's tail after the latter's second pitstop. Preining quickly took the lead to win by 1.5s.
"I'm obviously very happy – this win was really hard-fought today," Preining told ran.de. "I had a fantastic start, moving from sixth to third, which is tough on the outside here, but it worked out well. After that, it was a brutal battle with Jack.
"We overtook Thierry thanks to strategy. Jack didn't give me an inch, but I think it was fair and great entertainment for the fans. As always, we had a full house here, and it was nice to deliver a cool show."
Maro Engel took fourth ahead of Arjun Maini and the third Emily Frey Ferrari driver, Ben Green. Rene Rast salvaged seventh position but dropped to sixth in the drivers' standings, still led by Lucas Auer (Landgraf Mercedes), who finished eighth.
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Preining is now tied on points with Saturday race winner Jordan Pepper, both of whom trail Auer by seven points.
The DTM will return in five weeks' time at the Nurburgring, on 9-10 August.
Race 2 results
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