At the penultimate DTM race weekend of 2024, the series' guest appearance in Austria, Manthey EMA clinched its third podium finish of the season with second place for Thomas Preining (Austria) on Sunday. After finishing twelfth on Saturday, the Austrian added 24 points to his championship tally. Ayhancan Güven (Turkey) finished fifth on Saturday and seventh on Sunday to finish in the top ten in both races and take home 20 points. The pit stop crew once again put in a very good performance: with the fastest tyre change on Sunday and the second-fastest on Saturday, the team still leads the Pitstop Challenge by three points after the weekend in Styria (27 points).

The Red Bull Ring saw both heavy rain and sunshine on the seventh race weekend of the season, meaning that decisions between slicks and wet tyres determined almost every session. This was also the case on Saturday, when both nine-elevens started the first race on the picturesque Grand Prix circuit in the Austrian Alps on wet tyres in changeable weather conditions. Ayhancan Güven improved from twelfth to seventh place in the first two laps of the race. Lying in the same position, the Turkish driver headed for the pit lane immediately after the pit stop window opened and moved up another position thanks to a good tyre change. After another ten minutes of racing, he overtook starting number 85 (Clemens Schmid) and finally crossed the finish line in Styria in fifth position after the full race distance. Thomas Preining, who had started the race from 18th on the grid, worked his way up into the points during the starting phase of the race and fought some exciting duels for fourteenth, thirteenth and twelfth place before his pit stop after around 25 minutes of racing. In thirteenth after the pit stop, he moved up to twelfth with seven minutes to go, where he remained until the end of the race.

Sunday's qualifying session was more successful for both drivers of the Porsche 911 GT3 R with starting numbers 90 and 91 than the day before. While Thomas Preining started the race from fourth place on the second row of the grid, his team-mate lined up directly behind him in fifth position. Güven lost four places in the starting phase and finished the first lap of the race in ninth place. However, thanks to a strategic overcut and the fastest pit stop of the race, he was on course for a podium finish in third place after the pit stop window. However, as the Turkish driver was forced off the track in a three-way battle with car numbers 31 (Sheldon van der Linde) and 36 (Arjun Maini), he initially dropped back five places. After subsequently gaining position, he crossed the finish line in seventh place. Preining initially overtook René Rast (#33) after the start of the race on lap one. After 19 minutes of racing he had to give up the third position he had won back to car number 33, but regained it six minutes later against Luca Engstler (#19). After his tyre change, Preining also managed to pass starting number 92 (Mirko Bortolotti) and move up to second place. In the remaining time of his second home race, the Austrian tried to catch the leader René Rast. However, he was unable to do so and the number 91 Porsche 911 GT3 R eventually took the chequered flag in second place.

"First of all, I'm very pleased that Saturday went so well for Ayhancan. He drove a very good race and deserved the top five result. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to put together a good lap with Thomas in the first qualifying session and therefore had to start from the penultimate row. However, we were able to do some damage limitation with the points result for twelfth place. Things then went much better in the second qualifying session so that we were able to start the second race from a good position. Sunday's race and especially the duel between René and Thomas was very exciting. At last we're back in contention for the top points positions - that's a very positive development. It was almost a double podium for us today. Unfortunately, Ayhancan was unlucky in an overtaking chaos and was pushed into the grass in third place. A big thank you goes to our team. In addition to the good driving performances, super strategies and great pit stops laid the foundation for the four points-scoring results," said Nicolas Raeder, Managing Director of Manthey Racing GmbH.

After the weekend in Styria, Thomas Preining now holds fifth place in the drivers' standings with 143 points. Ayhancan Güven remains in 16th place (52 points). In the team standings, Manthey EMA moved up one place to sixth (194 points) after the four points-scoring results at the Red Bull Ring.

The DTM season finale will take place in three weeks' time with the last two sprint races of the year at the Hockenheimring from 18th to 20th October.

Quotes on the DTM race weekend at the Red Bull Ring:

Ayhancan Güven, Porsche 911 GT3 R #90: "It was a positive weekend for me with fifth and seventh place. We put in another great performance as a team. The clear goal for Sunday's race was a podium and after the guys delivered the fastest pit stop of the race, I was actually in the fight for the podium. Unfortunately, I went off the track due to contact with a competitor. Nevertheless, I'm positive because I was able to pick up some solid points. I'm looking forward to maintaining this positive momentum for the season finale."

Thomas Preining, Porsche 911 GT3 R #91: "A mixed weekend for me at my two home races at the Red Bull Ring. Unfortunately, I didn't get the lap together in qualifying on Saturday. In the end, I was still able to finish in the points, so my points-scoring streak, which I'm very proud of, continues. I'm obviously very happy about the podium on Sunday in front of my home crowd. It was an exciting and fair battle at the front with René, but in the end I was unfortunately no longer able to reach and overtake him on the track. Even though I would have liked to have taken the win at home, I'm happy that we were able to compete for the podium at all and hope that we can continue in the same vein at the finale in Hockenheim."

Results DTM Race 1 at the Red Bull Ring:

5th Ayhancan Güven, Porsche 911 GT3 R #90
12th Thomas Preining, Porsche 911 GT3 R #91

Results DTM Race 2 at the Red Bull Ring:

2nd Thomas Preining, Porsche 911 GT3 R #91
7th Ayhancan Güven, Porsche 911 GT3 R #90

DTM Race Calendar 2024:

26.04. - 28.04.2024 Oschersleben Motorsport Arena
24.05. - 26.05.2024 DEKRA Lausitzring
07.06. - 09.06.2024 Circuit Zandvoort / NL
05.07. - 07.07.2024 Norisring
16.08. - 18.08.2024 Nürburgring
06.09. - 08.09.2024 Sachsenring
27.09. - 29.09.2024 Red Bull Ring / A
18.10. - 20.10.2024 Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg

Source: Manthey EMA