Preining slipped from second to fourth with a sluggish start but was able to fight his way back after the mid-race pitstop, overtaking polesitter Rast with 20 minutes to go to claim his first victory of the 2023 season.
Reigning champion Sheldon van der Linde rounded out the podium spots behind team-mate Rast, with 20kg of success ballast on his car preventing him from repeating his Saturday win.
The start of the race was delayed when several environment protestors caused a nuisance, with local police to intervene to ensure the track was safe for racing.
When the action finally got under way, Rast led the field from pole position in his Schubert BMW, with van der Linde and Bernhard Porsche’s Ayhancan Guven demoting front row starter Preining to fourth.
Rast slowly but steadily began extending his lead at the front of the pack, building a 1.5s buffer within the first 15 minutes of the race.
When the pit window opened at the 20-minute mark, Preining was one of the first drivers to get his mandatory stop out of the way, an inspired call that laid the foundation for his victory.
With his tyres up to temperature, Preining was able to close the gap to van der Linde when the BMW driver completed his own pitstop a few laps later. Guven, who was previously running third ahead of Preining, had suffered a slow pitstop and had already dropped out of the battle for the podium by this point.
After several failed attempts, Preining finally found a way past the South African into Turn 1, sending his Porsche up the inside to snatch second position.
Source: Autosport