Thomas Preining

Austrian racing driver
Thomas Preining
Preining at the Red Bull Ring in 2023
NationalityAustria Austria
Born (1998-07-21) 21 July 1998 (age 25)
Linz, Austria
DTM career
Debut season2022
Current teamManthey EMA
Racing licence FIA Platinum
Car number91
Former teamsKÜS Team Bernhard
Starts31
Wins5
Poles3
Fastest laps2
Best finish1st in 2023
Previous series
2019
2019
2017-18
2015-16
2015-16		ADAC GT Masters
European Le Mans Series
Porsche Carrera Cup Germany
Italian F4 Championship
ADAC Formula 4
Championship titles
2023
2018		Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
Porsche Carrera Cup Germany

Thomas Preining (born 21 July 1998) is an Austrian racing driver, currently competing in Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, where he is the 2023 champion. He also won the 2018 German Porsche Carrera Cup championship.

Career

Formula 4

Preining's first season in single seaters was in 2015 with German team ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg where he competed at the first two rounds in the ADAC Formula 4 Championship where he got a podium in only his third race at this level at Oschersleben. Preining finished the season with 16 points.[1] Preining competed in another F4 championship in 2015 where he raced at the first round in the Italian F4 Championship at Vallelunga with German team Mücke Motorsport.[2] His best finish was 10th.

In 2016 he returned to the ADAC F4 grid for the full season but this time racing for Austrian team Lechner Racing. Preining would go on to finished the season with two wins and a further 4 podiums, this helped him to 4th in the championship with 180.5 points. Championship winner, Joey Mawson, finished 193.5 points ahead of Preining.[3] Like with the German championship, Preining returned to race in the Italian F4 Championship in 2016.[4] He only competed one round and his best result was 12th.

Porsche Carrera Cup Germany

In 2017 Preining made the switch from single seater to Sports car where he competed in the 2017 Porsche Carrera Cup in Germany racing for Konrad Motorsport. Preining won two races meaning he finished 5 points behind Christian Engelhart in 7th. Preining made the switch to his former team Lechner Racing for 2018 where he dominated the season, winning 10 of 14 races and only failing to finish on the podium twice. He won the championship by 37 points over Michael Ammermüller.

Formula E

Due to Preining's affiliation with Porsche, their Formula E team offered him a drive in the Rookie test at Marrakech. He partnered experienced French driver Frédéric Makowiecki. Preining's fastest time 1:19.374 which was almost 3 seconds slower than Nick Cassidy's fastest time of a 1:16.467.

Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters

In December 2021, it was confirmed that Preining would race full-time in the 2022 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters by driving the only Porsche 911 GT3 R car fielded by KÜS Team Bernhard.[5] In the first race of the fourth round at the Norisring, Preining scored his first win in the DTM, which was also the first win for a Porsche car in the series.[6] His second win in the DTM came in the second race of the seventh round at the Red Bull Ring, which saw him starting from seventh position and making several overtakes on a wet track, before being able to maintain the lead as the track began to dry.[7] Ahead of the eighth and final round at the Hockenheimring, Preining was one of the five drivers who had a chance of winning the championship title. However, he was in one of the cars that were involved in a major crash during the Saturday race. Although he was able to extract himself from his badly damaged car, the doctors eventually declared him unfit to participate in the Sunday race.[8] This left him in 5th place in the drivers' standings, with a total of 116 points.

In 2023, Preining returned to the series for a second consecutive season, moving to fellow Porsche outfit Manthey EMA.[9] In addition, Preining competed in the 2023 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup with Rutronik Racing, sharing a Pro class entry with Laurin Heinrich and DTM teammate Dennis Olsen.[10]

Racing record

Career summary

Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2015 ADAC Formula 4 Championship ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg 6 0 0 0 1 16 21st
Italian F4 Championship Mücke Motorsport 3 0 0 0 0 0 29th
2016 ADAC Formula 4 Championship Lechner Racing 24 2 2 0 6 180.5 5th
Italian F4 Championship 3 0 0 0 0 0 37th
2017 Porsche GT3 Cup Brasil - Endurance 1 0 0 0 0 29 23rd
Porsche Supercup Konrad Motorsport 4 0 0 0 0 22 19th
Porsche Carrera Cup Germany 14 1 0 0 2 130 7th
2018 Porsche Supercup Lechner Racing 10 4 3 3 5 135 3rd
Porsche Carrera Cup Germany 14 10 11 11 12 279 1st
24H GT Series - 911 Class Fach Auto Tech 1 0 0 1 1 ? ?
2018-19 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am Gulf Racing UK 5 0 0 3 0 53 11th
2019 International GT Open Frikadelli Racing 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
European Le Mans Series - GTE Proton Competition 3 1 1 2 1 32 10th
ADAC GT Masters Precote Herberth Motorsport 14 1 0 0 1 79 13th
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 Frikadelli Racing Team 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
2019–20 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am Dempsey-Proton Racing 5 0 0 0 0 12.5 15th
Formula E TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team Test/Development driver
2020 Intercontinental GT Challenge Absolute Racing 1 0 0 0 0 8 17th
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup GPX Racing 4 0 1 1 0 3 30th
2021 ADAC GT Masters KÜS Team Bernhard 14 0 0 0 2 74 13th
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 Falken Motorsports 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 9th
2022 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters KÜS Team Bernhard 15 2 0 1 4 116 5th
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Dinamic Motorsport 1 0 0 0 0 6 28th
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
2023 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Manthey EMA 16 3 3 2 8 246 1st
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
Intercontinental GT Challenge 1 0 0 0 1 30 15th
Rutronik Racing 1 0 0 0 0
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup 5 0 0 1 1 38 7th
FIA GT World Cup HubAuto Racing 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 15th
2024 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Manthey Racing
IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Andretti Motorsports 1 0 0 0 0 239 9th*

† As Preining was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.
* Season still in progress.

Complete ADAC Formula 4 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Pos Points
2015 ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg OSC1
1
10 		OSC1
2
29 		OSC1
3
3 		RBR
1
14 		RBR
2
30 		RBR
3
26 		SPA
1 		SPA
2 		SPA
3 		LAU
1 		LAU
2 		LAU
3 		NÜR
1 		NÜR
2 		NÜR
3 		SAC
1 		SAC
2 		SAC
3 		OSC2
1 		OSC2
2 		OSC2
3 		HOC
1 		HOC
2 		HOC
3 		21st 16
2016 Lechner Racing OSC1
1
6 		OSC1
2
14 		OSC1
3
3 		SAC
1
28 		SAC
2
18 		SAC
3
13 		LAU
1
3 		LAU
2
7 		LAU
3
8 		OSC2
1
2 		OSC2
2
DSQ 		OSC2
3
5 		RBR
1
1 		RBR
2
Ret 		RBR
3
16 		NÜR
1
8 		NÜR
2
7 		NÜR
3
1 		ZAN
1
14 		ZAN
2
7 		ZAN
3
10 		HOC
1
5 		HOC
2
2 		HOC
3
5 		4th 180.5

Complete Porsche Supercup results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Pos. Points
2017 Walter Lechner Racing Team CAT CAT MON RBR SIL HUN
18† 		SPA SPA MNZ
8† 		MEX
6 		MEX
5 		19th 22
2018 BWT Lechner Racing CAT
Ret 		MON
14 		RBR
1 		SIL
8 		HOC
4 		HUN
1 		SPA
1 		MNZ
1 		MEX
3 		MEX
4 		3rd 135

† As Preining was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rank Points
2018–19 Gulf Racing UK LMGTE Am Porsche 911 RSR Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 SPA LMS SIL FUJ
4 		SHA
9 		SEB
4 		SPA
7 		LMS
4 		11th 53
2019–20 Dempsey-Proton Racing LMGTE Am Porsche 911 RSR Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 SIL
11 		FUJ
9 		SHA
6 		BHR
Ret 		COA
9 		SPA LMS
NC 		BHR 25th 12.5

Complete European Le Mans Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rank Points
2019 Proton Competition LMGTE Porsche 911 RSR Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 LEC
7 		MNZ
WD 		CAT SIL
1 		SPA
WD 		ALG
Ret 		10th 35

Complete ADAC GT Masters results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 DC Points
2019 Precote Herberth Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R OSC
1
6 		OSC
2
1 		MST
1
21 		MST
2
Ret 		RBR
1
7 		RBR
2
Ret 		ZAN
1
Ret 		ZAN
2
17 		NÜR
1
9 		NÜR
2
11 		HOC
1
24 		HOC
2
6 		SAC
1
13 		SAC
2
8 		13th 79
2021 KÜS Team Bernhard Porsche 911 GT3 R OSC
1
26 		OSC
2
8 		RBR
1
11 		RBR
2
17 		ZAN
1
Ret 		ZAN
2
Ret 		LAU
1
Ret 		LAU
2
15 		SAC
1
5 		SAC
2
3 		HOC
1
12 		HOC
2
4 		NÜR
1
3 		NÜR
2
Ret 		13th 74

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2019 United Kingdom Gulf Racing United Kingdom Ben Barker
United Kingdom Michael Wainwright 		Porsche 911 RSR GTE
Am 		331 38th 8th
2020 Germany Dempsey-Proton Racing United States Dominique Bastien
Belgium Adrien de Leener 		Porsche 911 RSR GTE
Am 		238 NC NC

Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Rank Points
2022 KÜS Team Bernhard Porsche 911 GT3 R ALG
1
13 		ALG
2
Ret 		LAU
1
Ret 		LAU
2
Ret 		IMO
1
43 		IMO
2
Ret 		NOR
1
12 		NOR
2
9 		NÜR
1
Ret 		NÜR
2
7 		SPA
1
32 		SPA
2
3 		RBR
1
5 		RBR
2
1 		HOC
1
Ret 		HOC
2
DNS 		5th 116
2023 Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) OSC
1
11 		OSC
2
31 		ZAN
1
7 		ZAN
2
22 		NOR
1
122 		NOR
2
12 		NÜR
1
32 		NÜR
2
5 		LAU
1
15 		LAU
2
4 		SAC
1
2 		SAC
2
4 		RBR
1
6 		RBR
2
3 		HOC
1
11 		HOC
2
11 		1st 246
2024 Manthey Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) OSC
2 		OSC
2 		LAU
1 		LAU
2 		ZAN
1 		ZAN
2 		NOR
1 		NOR
2 		NÜR
1 		NÜR
2 		SAC
1 		SAC
2 		RBR
1 		RBR
2 		HOC
1 		HOC
2

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Class Make Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Rank Points
2024 Andretti Motorsports GTD Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Porsche 4.2 L Flat-6 DAY
9 		SEB LBH LGA WGL MOS ELK VIR IMS PET 9th* 239*

* Season still in progress.

References

  1. ^ David, Gruz (April 8, 2015). "Dienst, Preining, Zhou headline ADAC F4 entry list".
  2. ^ "Entry list" (PDF). acisportitalia.i. 2015. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
  3. ^ "Thomas Preining: Kein Geld für die Formel-3-EM / Formel 1 SPEEDWEEK.COM". www.speedweek.com.
  4. ^ Allen, Peter (April 7, 2016). "Italian and German F4 series get 40+ cars, qualifying races".
  5. ^ Watkins, Gary (2021-12-17). "Le Mans winner Bernhard to enter Porsche team in DTM". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
  6. ^ Newbold, James (2022-07-02). "DTM Norisring: Preining scores Porsche's first win in race of survival". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
  7. ^ Thukral, Rachit (2022-09-25). "DTM Red Bull Ring: Preining wins thriller, van der Linde struggles". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 2022-09-26.
  8. ^ Thukral, Rachit; Haidinger, Sven (2022-10-08). "Five DTM drivers to miss Hockenheim finale after Race 1 chaos". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  9. ^ Goodwin, Graham (24 February 2023). "Manthey EMA Confirm Olsen & Preining For 2023 DTM". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  10. ^ "Rutronik Racing dévoile l'équipage Pro de sa Porsche" [Rutronik Racing unveils the Pro crew of its Porsche]. Endurance-Info. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.

External links

  • Thomas Preining career summary at DriverDB.com
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Dennis Olsen
 Porsche Carrera Cup Germany
Winner
2018 		Succeeded by
Julien Andlauer
Preceded by Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
Champion
2023 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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