Thomas Preining made a significant impact during the first qualifying session at the Sachsenring, setting a new record with a lap time of 1:17.199 minutes in a Porsche 911 GT3 R. Despite this achievement, the reigning DTM champion from the Manthey EMA team faces a setback as he has been penalized and will start the race from sixth on the grid due to a third warning from the previous race weekend. This penalty elevates Ferrari driver Jack Aitken, who qualified second, to pole position for race eleven of the season.
Preining expressed his satisfaction with his performance but acknowledged the challenges of the Sachsenring's layout, particularly in managing tire temperatures on the track's numerous left turns. He emphasized the importance of strategic racing at the narrow circuit. Aitken, who was just 0.089 seconds slower than Preining, also noted the significance of starting from pole at the Sachsenring, which he sees as an advantage in his bid for a third win of the season.
Mirko Bortolotti of SSR Performance qualified third and will join Aitken on the front row in his Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2. He will be followed by Mercedes-AMG Team HRT drivers Luca Stolz and Arjun Maini, with Maro Engel starting fifth in a Mercedes-AMG GT3. Preining, despite his penalty, will aim to recover ground from his sixth-place starting position.
The qualifying session saw drivers carefully manage their laps on the 3.645-kilometre track before delivering their best times. With about five minutes remaining, Stolz initially set a record time before being overtaken by Bortolotti. Preining eventually claimed the record on his fifth lap, while Aitken secured second place shortly before the session concluded. Championship leader Kelvin van der Linde from Abt Sportsline will start from ninth in his Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo2.
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