Harsh accusations from champion Thomas Preining against Kelvin van der Linde: What he accuses Abt’s title contender of in the duel and how he justifies himself
Hefty accusations from “Grello” title defender Thomas Preining against Abt-Audi title contender Kelvin van der Linde after the tough duel at the Sachsenring. He may be in favor of “hard racing”, but “if you brake on the straights and the car behind you almost drives into you – three or four times – that’s when the fun stops for me,” Preining said, annoyed with the 28-year-old on ran.de – and even spoke of “brake tests.”
For context: A so-called brake test, as Preining accuses his rival of, is considered one of the worst offenses in motorsport. If the car in front of you hits the brakes on the straight with a rival in the rear, the latter has no chance to react.
“That’s not an accusation, that’s a fact,“ says van der Linde, ‘suddenly driving slowly on the straights’, as his own footage would also prove.”
“Wanted to force myself to go to the outside ”
When did the South African rely on this strategy? “Only when he made mistakes,” Preining specifies. “If I wasn’t very close, he didn’t need it. And so he did it to force me to go to the outside so that I had no chance of overtaking. “
A behavior that annoyed the sixth-placed driver: “Highly unnecessary and unsportsmanlike!” Although the Abt Audi driver did not brake on the straight, he took his foot off the accelerator, which had a similar effect: “If you first have zero km/h excess speed and then – I don’t know – ten, 20 km/h, then that’s relatively clear to me. ”
Kelvin van der Linde: “Don’t think it was Braketest ”
But what does Kelvin van der Linde, who finished a disappointed eighth, have to say about Preining’s accusation? “He was damn fast on the straights and always tried a ‘divebomb’ in Turn 1. So I took my foot off the gas at the exit of the last corner so that he would pull over to the left,” explained the Abt Audi driver.
“I don’t think it was a brake test, more of a strategic move to set myself up for Turn 1, so to speak, so that he would drive around the outside,” he says, not quite understanding Preining’s harsh words. “He can decide where he wants to go, he doesn’t have to drive behind. So he stayed at full throttle and pushed me all the way down the straight. He’s also allowed to pass on the left. “
Why Kelvin van der Linde was cautioned
Van der Linde also received his second caution of the season when he successfully defended himself after an attack by Preining on the inside of the first corner on lap 23. “I was in the grass for a moment and then fought my way back. You can see it either way,” said the South African, not wanting to make a clear decision.
Preining also sees this action differently. “He just didn’t turn in at Turn 2,” says last year’s champion. “I was next to him and he drove straight ahead with me, towards the wall. That’s obviously also weak.” Race control also blamed the Abt Audi driver for pushing Preining onto the dirty part of the track in the second corner
How Preining decided the duel in his favor
In the end, Preining prevailed on the 34th lap when he first made a move on the outside after the start-finish line and then passed on the inside with a light touch in a spectacular move. “It was actually a relatively simple maneuver because he slowed down again on the straight,” said Preining, describing the situation. “I simply drove past him.”
Why didn’t the stewards take action? There was no complaint from the Manthey EMA team after the race that van der Linde’s maneuvers should be scrutinized by the stewards, which means there are now no consequences.
