PREMIAIR RACING OPENS CHRISTCHURCH WEEKEND WITH CHARGING RACE 10 FIGHTBACK
PremiAir Racing has begun its Christchurch campaign with a fightback at Ruapuna Motorsport Park while navigating a new circuit and the added complexity of Taupō’s rescheduled Race 10 being folded into the weekend.
The day began with a single 40-minute practice session, marking the team’s first ever laps around Ruapuna.
Both drivers settled in quickly, with Jayden “Juice” Ojeda immediately showing confidence, finishing P6 with the #31 PremiAir Racing Camaro, while Declan Fraser used the session to build rhythm and gather data, closing out P16 aboard the #777 PremiAir Racing Camaro.
The focus then quickly shifted to refinements ahead of the afternoon’s two-part qualifying session for Race 10 – an outing which would ultimately prove challenging for the team.
For a moment, the numbers were pointing towards Ojeda being on for a potential part-two berth, before a mistake on his push lap forced him to abort, leaving him P21. Fraser meanwhile slotted into P19 after a tidy but conservative run.
While not the grid positions the team had targeted, the drivers and crew had no time to waste in the busy Friday schedule, resetting quickly for the 37-lap sprint to come.
The Race 10 start came amidst chaotic conditions at 4.35pm, with trouble in the back end of the field after the race went ‘green,’ causing temporary confusion as far as the race status.
Thankfully, proceedings quickly resumed and Ojeda launched into attack mode, climbing six places in the first few laps before going on to advance further as the field settled. By lap 10, he was inside the top 13, managing tyre life and positioning himself for the critical CPS window.
Around this time, Fraser’s race became more complicated after contact with Cooper Murray left him managing a vibration, but he held firm while the team monitored the issue.
While the talk before the event pointed towards an expectation for two-tyre stops, higher than expected tyre degradation across the field shifted strategy calls, with most teams – including PremiAir Racing – opting for four tyres instead.
On lap 23 and lap 26, Ojeda and then Fraser visited the lane for a pair of clean stops for fuel and four tyres, delivered with precision by the crew to see them return to the track P15 and P21, ready for the final stint of the 37-lap race.
From here, Ojeda pushed to P12 in the closing laps, securing a strong charge back from his starting position deep in the pack, while Fraser recovered to P18 after managing his earlier vibration and picking off cars in the run home.
PremiAir Racing now turns its attention to a packed Saturday program featuring back-to-back qualifying sessions for races 11 and 12 at 10.05am and 11.00am, before the races themselves take place at 12.45pm (Race 11) and 4.10pm (Race 12). Sunday will conclude the weekend with a longer 61-lap finale at 3.05pm, which will be preceded by qualifying (11.50am) and a top ten shootout (12.45pm). For the full event schedule, visit www.supercars.com
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QUOTEBOARD: CHRISTCHURCH SUPER 440 – FRIDAY 17 APRIL 2026
Jayden Ojeda – #31 PremiAir Racing Camaro
“It was a pretty full-on race to start the weekend. The opening laps were pretty chaotic, but we were able to take advantage of that and make up some good ground early, which set things up nicely.
From there, the car had a really solid pace, and we were able to keep moving forward, even with the tyre deg being a bit higher than expected across the race. The team did a great job with the stop and strategy, giving us a clean run through the middle stint.
To come away with P12 from where we started is a solid recovery and a good way to kick things off at a new track for everyone. There’s still a bit to work on, but plenty of positives to take into the rest of the weekend.”
Declan Fraser – #777 PremiAir Racing Camaro
“It was a pretty hectic race to kick things off here at Ruapuna. We had a bit of contact early on, which left us managing a vibration for most of the race, so from that point it was really just about looking after the car and staying in it.
The team did a great job with the strategy and pit stops, and once we got through that, we were able to settle in and pick off a few cars towards the end to recover some positions.
It’s obviously not where we want to be, but there are still some positives to take. It’s a new track for all of us and we’ve learned a lot in a short space of time, so we’ll take that, go through everything tonight and come back stronger tomorrow.”
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