P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Thomas Preining commanded his way to victory during the opening DTM race at Hockenheim which extended his championship lead for
The penultimate race on the 2023 schedule was filled with intense wheel-to-wheel racing at the eighth and final venue of the season, bringing the championship title fight closer to its conclusion. Preining secured his championship lead by taking pole position and earning the three available points. Bortolotti started in eighth position, aiming to close the 13-point gap during the Saturday race. Preining maintained his lead at the start, with Olsen quickly moving up to second place. This resulted in Manthey EMA’s two Porsches leading the pack, followed by Aitken in fourth place. There were numerous battles throughout the field, and contact between van der Linde’s BMW and Owega’s Mercedes-AMG GT3 caused them to fall to the back of the grid. Feller, currently third in the standings, applied pressure on Aitken to reduce his 39-point gap. After the initial chaos, the field settled with a two-second gap between Engelhart in third and Aitken in fourth. The intense competition allowed the front three drivers to pull away, while Bortolotti struggled to gain positions. Aitken and Feller made their mandatory pit stops, with Bortolotti also pitting in an attempt to improve his position. Preining made a comfortable lead, pitted, and regained his lead after Olsen and Engelhart’s pit stops. Perera received a penalty lap for speeding in the pit lane, hindering his position relative to teammate Bortolotti. Bortolotti faced a tough battle with van der Linde, who received a warning flag for forcing Bortolotti off the track. Feller made a smart move on Aitken to secure fourth position. Unfortunately, Rast experienced tire damage after his pit stop and was forced to retire from the race. With Preining leading by four seconds and Bortolotti in seventh, the Lamborghini driver needed to climb at least one more position to stay in the title race for Sunday’s race.
Source: Motorsport Week
