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Following a busy day of final race preparations across two 60-minute practice sessions and many more hours in the garages, PremiAir Nulon Racing is feeling confident heading into tomorrow’s Great Race with the #31 entry for Jimmy Golding and David Russell, and the #23 for Tim Slade and Cameron McLeod.
The 161-lap Bathurst 1000 – in which PremiAir Nulon Racing brought home a top ten result in 2023 – is the biggest and arguably the most important race on the Supercars calendar, and naturally no stone has been left unturned by the team in its preparations for tomorrow’s 11.30am race start at the legendary Mount Panorama.
Across both of today’s practice sessions it was all about race prep with full fuel loads, tyre management, set-up changes, pit stop practices, pad changes and other critical elements of ensuring the best race program possible the core focus. Both sessions also saw the entire field stepped through a full course yellow test – a procedure which will inevitably feature across tomorrow’s race.
As a result of the concentration of race preparation, lap times were far from a high priority for the team today, especially compared to those who were focusing on the shootout, and so the team says not much should be read into its position on the time sheets (Practice 5 – Rusell P21, McLeod P23; Practice 6 – Golding P15, Slade P23) for today’s outings.
Also on-track for PremiAir Nulon Racing today was the team boss, Peter Xiberras, who contested the final race for the weekend for the V8 Sleuth Retro Revival this morning, finishing 23rd aboard his restored Group A ex-Graeme Crosby, Bob Jane T-Marts VK Commodore.
Race day at the Bathurst 1000 will commence tomorrow (Sunday) with a 20-minute warm-up for the entire field at 8.15am, ahead of the race start at 11.30am. For full event and scheduling information, visit www.supercars.com
QUOTEBOARD: BATHURST 1000 – SATURDAY 12 OCTOBER, 2024
Peter Xiberras – Team Owner, PremiAir Nulon Racing
“I can’t tell you how much fun I have had in the V8 Sleuth Retro Revival this weekend – what a great concept it has been, and this race track – all I can say is there really is nothing like it,” Xiberras said. “On the Bathurst 1000 front, after such a long lead up it is almost strange that we are now at this point again where all that lays ahead is the big race. The team has been working past themselves all week long and the dedication and commitment they have shown to our preparations is fantastic, I couldn’t be more proud of them all. We have focused on the race preparation today and made some good advancements for both cars, and in particular for the #23 in which Tim and Camy hadn’t previously felt quite comfortable this weekend, and I have been pleased that we have been able to achieve that for them today. There is a lot more to do overnight, but with a top ten here last year, hungry drivers, a dedicated team, and the fact we all know anything can happen at this incredible track, I am feeling confident we can have a strong showing.”
Jimmy Golding – #31 PremiAir Nulon Racing Camaro
“We have focused on racing simulation again today as we have looked to tune the cars for the race. It is a long one ahead tomorrow, and the track is changing a lot, so we are trying to keep on top of that. D-Russ is doing a great job in the car as well, and was P2 out there in the Porsches, so he has his eye in. As we do our final preparations, we are going to be focusing on the end of the race as that is what is going to make the difference tomorrow. In the meantime, we (the drivers) need to say a special thanks to the whole team for putting in the hard work – we have been making a lot of changes this weekend and we have been doing our best to help out by keeping the cars straight. It is a big week on the team with lots of early starts and hard yards, so hopefully we can pay them back tomorrow.”
Tim Slade – #23 PremiAir Nulon Racing Camaro
“Our final day before race day is done and dusted. It has been a bit of a struggle for us all weekend in the #23 but I feel we have finally made some inroads in that last practice session. We are still a bit off, but I feel as though we have found a bit of direction which helps me feel more comfortable heading into the race start. Camy is doing a pretty good job and is feeling comfortable and up to speed, so hopefully we can get the car a bit nicer for the two of us for tomorrow in the final prep and have a good day tomorrow.”
For more information on PremiAir Nulon Racing, please visit www.premiairracing.com or follow the team on its social media platforms at www.facebook.com/PremiAirRacing/, www.instagram.com/premiair_racing/, www.linkedin.com/company/premiairracing/ and www.twitter.com/premiairracing
