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Preining Furious as Rivals Threaten to ‘Take Me Out’
Highlights
- Thomas Preining finished fifth in Saturday’s Hockenheim DTM race.
- Preining dropped from third to 14th after opening lap collisions.
- Kelvin van der Linde aggressively defended, forcing Preining off track.
- Preining’s team completed a fast 6.6-second pit stop.
- Preining leads standings by 20 points with two races remaining.
- Preining aims for clean runs and strong qualifying in finale.
Thomas Preining salvages fifth in Saturday’s DTM race at Hockenheim after lap-one chaos drops him from third to 14th, keeping control of the title fight.
The Manthey Porsche driver reports a frantic start and says several rivals race on the ragged edge, but he avoids major damage and begins a measured recovery.
Contact from Thierry Vermeulen at Turn 2 forces him wide at the Parabolica entry, costing eleven places. Preining attributes it to misjudged braking on low grip, not malicious intent.
“Deliberately trying to eliminate a rival is unacceptable,” Preining says after the opening-lap clashes.
He declines to name the driver he believes crosses the line, stressing his frustration is not aimed at Vermeulen after their Turn 2 incident.
Attention shifts to Kelvin van der Linde, teammate to Marco Wittmann. In a hairpin fight, van der Linde’s robust defense forces Preining off, costing three positions, before Preining later passes inside.
Van der Linde admits he does everything possible to hold back the faster Porsche.
Manthey executes a clean strategy headlined by a rapid 6.6-second pit stop, propelling Preining to fifth. Title rival Maro Engel loses a likely win after a slow 16.5-second stop.
Preining leads by 20 points over Wittmann and 22 over Engel with two races remaining, shifting pressure onto his pursuers to win while he banks points.
Preining enters the finale with a 20-point cushion over Wittmann and 22 over Engel.
He targets clean execution and strong qualifying to control risk. Teams refine setups for the decider after extensive Hockenheim running, including the Hockenheim test, raising the stakes on precision and discipline.
Visual Summary
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P3
P14
🏎️
P5
Finish
Finish
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From Chaos ➜ Comeback!
Preining fights from P14 to P5
Hockenheim Drama: Collided & dropped 11 spots on Lap 1, Preining stormed back with grit—and a 6.6s pit stop. He now leads the DTM title race!
🤦♂️
Bumped to grass
Lap 1: Vermeulen contact
🤜🏎️🤛
Fights rivals
Aggressive defense from van der Linde
⏱️
Pitstop: 6.6s!
Fastest of the leaders
DTM Title Race:
+20 pts
Preining leads Wittmann by 20, Engel by 22
Two races left. Hold on to win it all!
Two races left. Hold on to win it all!
🧠
Stay smart. Points = Title.
Stay smart. Points = Title.
Zane Muniz writes across NASCAR, IndyCar, F1, IMSA, NHRA, and dirt-racing news. His breaking-news alerts and event previews ensure motorsport fans never miss a lap, drift, or drag-strip showdown.
