The Austrian driver will proceed to hold his most well-liked 91 quantity on his Manthey EMA-entered 911 GT3 R in 2024, regardless of having earned the correct to flaunt his champion standing as a part of the DTM rulebook.
Present BMW driver Rene Rast was the final champion to not race with #1 on his automobile, electing to proceed together with his signature #33 after the primary two of his three title-winning campaigns (he didn’t defend his third title in 2021 following the DTM’s swap to GT3 guidelines).
Explaining his rationale, Preining informed Motorsport.com’s sister title Motorsport-Whole.com that he’s beginning the 12 months from scratch and must win the title once more to think about himself the ‘present champion’.
“I already stated in Hockenheim: Now we’ll be champions for 2 months after which we’ll be nothing. That is our mind-set,” he stated.
“We now must earn #1 once more and work at the very least as arduous as final 12 months – with the identical focus. That is why we’re driving with quantity 91 this 12 months and never with #1.”
This 12 months will mark Preining’s third marketing campaign within the DTM, having first entered the sequence in 2022 with Group Bernhard 75.
He was instrumental in Porsche’s maiden success within the DTM final 12 months, because the Volkswagen Group marque clinched the drivers’, groups’ and producers’ treble.
However whereas his 2023 title has raised his inventory inside Porsche, which now has a brand new flagship sportscar programme within the World Endurance Championship and the IMSA SportsCar Championship, Preining stated it was his name to proceed within the DTM over taking on a much bigger alternative in LMDh.
The 25-year-old, who has accomplished three exams within the Porsche 963, defined: “For the time being the main target is completely on the DTM , and that was additionally my want.
“I’ve to thank Porsche: They gave me a free selection and I selected the DTM as a result of I actually get pleasure from it, as a result of I really feel snug there, as a result of I work very properly with the staff and since I wish to defend the title.”
Preining stated he additionally enjoys the dash format of the DTM, with every race lasting simply over an hour and that includes a tye change in between.
“It is all concerning the qualifying, it is concerning the duel, wheel to wheel the entire race,” he stated. “I simply suppose that is nice. And there is presently nothing that is above that for me this season. It is my massive one. The aim for 2024 is to defend the title or to win it once more.”
