back to blog overview
That Thomas Preining can win in the DTM, has been proved by the Austrian already in the 2022 season, when he took the first Porsche DTM victory in the brand's history. When he crossed the finish line at the Norisring on July 2nd, 2022, he was still under contract with the KÜS team Bernhard. In the end, Preining was in fifth place with 116 points. Promising news for DTM fans ahead of the 2023 season was Thomas Preining's move to Manthey Racing, who announced that they would be competing for the first time with the Grello livery popular with fans.
In the end, the Manthey/Preining combination won comfortably in both the driver and team rankings. Ixo has now produced the DTM winning car as a model. The "Grello" Porsche 911 GT3 R with starting number 91 is available in both 1:18 and smaller 1:43 scale. The officially licensed Manthey product commemorates the first Porsche overall victory in the DTM and the first overall DTM victory by an Austrian.
Manthey Racing started the 2023 DTM season with two identical Porsche 911 GT3 Rs. In addition to the "Grello" with starting number 91, driven by Thomas Preining, the sister vehicle, called "Greeno" by the fans, with starting number 90, driven by Norwegian Dennis Olsen, started. 16 races were held on 8 different weekends. In addition to the races in Zandvoort and Spielberg, all other races of the season took place in Germany. Directly on the first race weekend in Oschersleben, Thomas Preining secured pole position on Sunday and drove the fastest race lap.
In the end, he took third place, his first podium of the season. On the second weekend in Zandvoort, Holland, he finished second on Sunday. In the Sunday race at the Norisring, Preining secured his first win of the season, repeating his performance from the previous year, when he took the first DTM race win in Porsche's history at the same venue. Things got exciting again at the Lausitzring in the middle of the season. While Thomas Preining only managed 15th place on Saturday and 4th place on Sunday, his direct competitor Mirko Bortolotti made a statement with a second place and a race win and kept the championship exciting.
In the third-to-last race at the Sachsenring, Preining (2nd place on Saturday and 4th place on Sunday) and Bortolotti (9th place on Saturday and 1st place on Sunday) scored equally. The decision in the championship had to wait until the last race weekend at the Hockenheimring. Preining further extended his lead there with a win in the Saturday race. On Sunday before the start of qualifying, Mirko Bortolotti was 27 points behind Preining with 28 points still up for grabs (3 for pole, 25 for the race win). Despite an outstanding qualifying by Mirko Bortolotti, Preining secured pole position on Sunday morning and thus the 2023 DTM championship title before the start of the race. The subsequent victory in the Sunday race was the highlight.
Porsche 911 GT3 R #91 DTM-Champion 2023 Thomas Preining Manthey Grello 1:18, RRP €99.95, item-no.: MG-I-911-DTM-23-1891
Porsche 911 GT3 R #91 DTM-Champion 2023 Thomas Preining Manthey Grello 1:43, RRP €39.95, item-no.: MG-I-911-DTM-23-4391
Galerie
产品
 | Porsche 911 GT3 R #91 DTM Champion 2023 Thomas Preining Manthey Grello 1:18 Ixo | 99,95 € |
 | Porsche 911 GT3 R #91 DTM Champion 2023 Thomas Preining Manthey Grello 1:43 Ixo | 39,95 € |
[13.09.2024] CK TV: Episode two to mark the 40th anniversary of the DTM
