PremiAir Racing buzzing after best ever result
By Thomas Miles
Date posted: 13 March 2023
Gen3 promised to shakeup the pecking order and one of the beneficiaries at Newcastle was PremiAir Racing, which recorded its best result.
In just its second year as a team, the squad led by Peter Xiberras was one of the fastest across the weekend, with at least one car in the top 10 of all-but one session.
The solid performance culminating in Golding’s P4 on Sunday, which knocked off its previous best of P6 recorded at Albert Park by Garry Jacobson in 2022.
James Golding clips the 6 kerb at Newcastle in race 1. Image: Supplied
Golding started fifth and moved up one place off the line and stayed in the top five across the entire first stint.
After a longer fuel stop put him seventh during the midway part of the race, car #31 emerged in third at the back end of the race.
Although David Reynolds did get by on Lap 73, Golding still recorded the PremiAir’s best result, while teammate Tim Slade arrived in ninth to give the team handy points.
Despite missing out on a potential maiden podium, Golding was pumped by the strong performance.
“This is a huge result for myself and our young team. Something that we can all be proud of,” he said.
“It was a great way to finish out the opening round of the 2023 championship, with both cars again in the top ten in both qualifying and racing.
“I think it is just a sample of what the future will hold for us all – bring on Melbourne!”
In addition to the valuable points, what made the Sunday performance even sweeter was the vindication it provided after Saturday.
Slade became the 21st driver to record 400 Supercars/ATCC race starts and looked on track to score a strong result in his milestone race.
Tim Slade was a smiles after bringing up his 400th race start and finishing in the top 10 on Sunday. Image: Supplied
Car #400 was sitting in a comfortable fifth across the entire first stint of Saturday’s race, only for the result to slip away due to a front right wheel nut issue, which put him last.
It left the milestone man and the team heart broken, but Xiberras said he was proud by the way his team bounced back and believes a podium could be coming for the squad, which recorded just six top 10 finishes last year.
“Saturday we weren’t from the highest highs to the lowest of lows. It was almost a 101 of how to go from hero to zero,” Xiberras said on Supercars Trackside.
“But the boys recovered and we learnt a lot. We turned it into race form and we were able to bring two cars home in the top 10.
“Sometimes there are a lot of things you have to do to motivate the team, but results lifted everyone.
“When the cars went out today everyone and were fast it was like a light switch and everyone lit up and there we were.
“We are all hoping for a podium and one day our time will come I guarantee it.”
2023 Newcastle 500 schedule
Friday, March 10
Practice 1 – 1: A. Heimgartner 1:11.9958 2: W. Brown +0.1813 3: D. Reynolds +0.2021
Practice 2 – 1: S. van Gisbergen 1:11.7555 2: W. Davison +0.0374 3: B. Feeney +0.1167
Practice 3 – 1 Brodie Kostecki 1:11.4068; 2 Shane van Gisbergen +0.0557; 3 Chaz Mostert +0.0760
Saturday, March 11
Qualifying 1 – 1: Kostecki 1:11.131. 2: Mostert 1:11.358 3: VanGisbergen 1:11.435
Top 10 Shootout – 1: Kostecki 1:11.8481 2: Waters +0.1520 3: Feeney +0.1527
Race 1 (95 laps) – 1: Van Gisbergen 2: Feeney +14.740 3: Waters +19.746
Sunday, March 12
Qualifying – 1: Reynolds 1:11.4872; 2: Waters +0.0147; 3: Golding +0.0456
Top 10 Shootout – 1: Reynolds 1:12..0813 2: Mostert +0.0058 3: Golding +0.1092
Race 2 : 1. Van Gisbergen 02:13.25 2: Mostert +4.499 : 3 Reynolds +25.140
For more of the latest motorsport news, pick up the latest issue of AUTO ACTION.
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