Roland Dane Returns to the Pit Wall with PremiAir Racing
By Auto Action
Date posted: 16 October 2025
PremiAir Racing has pulled off one of the biggest off-track coups of the Supercars season, confirming that Roland Dane will take over as Team Principal from 1 January 2026.
The move marks a full-time return to frontline Supercars management for the man who reshaped the modern championship. Dane, who founded Triple Eight Race Engineering and turned it into the most successful team of the 21st century, has been quietly consulting with PremiAir Racing throughout 2025. That relationship will now formalise, with Dane taking full control of the team’s racing operations next season.
Team owner Peter Xiberras said bringing Dane on board was an obvious next step after a season of collaboration.
“I have come to know Roland over quite a few years and I have always admired what he created with his racing empire,” Xiberras said. “The first time we met was in 2019 when I purchased my first Triple Eight car and he has been someone that I have highly respected ever since.
“This year we have been working with Roland on some projects for PremiAir Racing and having him go from a consultancy role to full-time will be a great opportunity for our team. The knowledge, expertise and work ethic that Roland brings to the table is immense, and having built Triple Eight into a championship-dominating powerhouse, the decision to have him as our Team Principal just makes sense from every angle.”
Dane, 68, is no stranger to building success from the ground up. After a successful career in the British Touring Car Championship with Nissan and then Triple Eight UK, he brought the operation to Australia in 2003, purchasing the ailing Briggs Motorsport. By 2005, with Craig Lowndes and later Jamie Whincup behind the wheel, Triple Eight Racing had transformed into a winning machine.
Under Dane’s leadership, the team claimed eight drivers’ championships, ten teams’ titles and nine Bathurst 1000 victories. The roster of drivers who flourished under his management reads like a modern Supercars honour roll; Whincup, Lowndes, Shane van Gisbergen and even Broc Feeney all rose under the Triple Eight banner.
Roland Dane returned Craig Lowndes to the top of the sport, helping him to another six Bathurst wins with Triple Eight. Photo: LAT
Dane stepped back from daily operations at the end of 2021, handing control to daughter Jessica and Whincup, but maintained a close connection to the sport through advisory work and media commentary.
Now, he’s ready to return to the pit wall.
“I have known Peter for a number of years now and I have been following closely how things had been going with PremiAir Racing for quite some time, even before I started with the team in a consulting role this year,” Dane said.
“Working with the team this year has allowed me to really get a deep understanding of how the team operates and how they all work together. There are definitely some good points with this team but also room for improvement, which I’m keen to get involved with next year.
“I have Peter’s 100% commitment about making sure that the potential this team has is realised, and I am greatly looking forward to the challenge as Team Principal in 2026.”
The appointment signals Xiberras’s determination to continue PremiAir Racing’s rise up the grid. Since joining the championship in 2022, the team has grown from a last-minute entry into a consistent mid-pack force, highlighted by strong performances at Bathurst and The Bend in 2025.
For Dane, the mission will be familiar; build structure, stability and sustained performance. For PremiAir Racing, it’s the clearest statement yet of its intent to become a front-running Supercars operation.
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