Preining got a chance to sample Porsche’s prototype racer at the Bahrain International Circuit earlier this month, having been nominated by the German manufacturer for the World Endurance Championship rookie test following his title-winning DTM campaign with the 911 GT3.
Completing 82 laps of the Sakhir circuit that also hosted the WEC finale, the 25-year-old posted a best time of 1m50.603s in the factory, Penske-run 963 LMDh, which was just two tenths shy of the effort regular driver Laurens Vanthoor managed during a short eight-lap baseline run.
That was despite Preining focusing almost entirely on long runs and not doing any low-fuel runs, which meant that he finished the test two seconds off the pace set by Robert Shwartzman in the Ferrari 499P LMH.
An immediate graduation to WEC or IMSA SportsCar Championship’s top class next year is unlikely for the Austrian, but there could be more vacancies in Porsche’s LMDh line-ups in 2025 for which he could be considered a suitable candidate.
Asked if he could see himself racing the 963 in 2025, Preining told Autosport: “I can definitely imagine. We didn't really speak about my future yet.
“I'm still very busy this season. I was doing DTM in Hockenheim and then I went to Mexico for F1.
“Now I'm here and then I go to Macau. I will keep travelling for a long time, but we need to find time to speak about these things.”
Source: Autosport