Manthey EMA driver Preining topped the 20-minute session with a time of 1m21.347s, beating the similar Porsche 911 GT3 R of Toksport WRT driver Tim Heinemann by 0.055 seconds to pole in a somewhat anticlimactic end to qualifying.
It marked Preining’s first pole in DTM in 18 attempts, the Austrian driver having never started higher than second on the grid despite scoring two wins in his rookie campaign last year - including the very first for Porsche as a manufacturer.
Preining first moved to the top of the timesheets with three minutes to go when he set a time of 1m21.370s, which was identical to the lap with which Franck Perera claimed pole on Saturday.
This benchmark would have proven good enough for pole, but the 24-year-old managed to lower that further on his next attempt, making a small but significant 0.053s improvement to seal the top spot on the grid for Sunday's second race of the season.
Almost all drivers had completed their final flying laps before the clock hit zero, a major departure from the usual pattern of drivers leaving it as late as possible to set their quickest times in order to take advantage of track evolution.
This meant Preining was already back in the pitlane when he was told over radio that he has secured pole position for the race.
Source: Autosport