PREMIAIR RACING CLOSES CHRISTCHURCH WEEKEND WITH GRITTY TOP-TEN FINISH
A gritty performance at Ruapuna Motorsport Park has seen PremiAir Racing close out its Christchurch Super 440 weekend with a hard-earned top ten result amidst a dramatic race which was punctuated by split strategies and plenty of chaos.
The day began with qualifying for the 61-lap/200km finale, utilising the two-stage plus top ten shootout system. While Declan Fraser in the #777 PremiAir Racing Camaro would not progress past part one (P23), Jayden Ojeda was able to make it through to part two with the #31 PremiAir Racing Camaro, pushing hard to try and move through to the shootout but ultimately being forced to settle for a P17 starting position for the final race of the weekend.
It was a problematic Race 13 start for PremiAir Racing with Ojeda caught up in a lap one incident, rejoining at the rear of the field in time for the lap three Safety Car restart. Fraser, meanwhile, had been able to avoid the chaos while climbing through to P14.
The team decided to bring Ojeda in early on lap eight from P18 for four tyres and fuel – although a right-rear thread issue would cost valuable seconds and reduce the strategic benefit of the early stop. He rejoined in P20 in clean air, putting his had down and concentrating on clawing back time over the coming laps.
For the #777, holding position in P14, a longer first stint was decided upon. Fraser would run as high as P3 as the field continued through the first CPS cycle, before pitting on lap 27 for four tyres and fuel in a clean and well-executed stop.
With Ojeda P20 and managing a front-left flat stop at this time, the team would bring the #31 back to the lane on the next lap for a strong four-tyre and fuel stop, rejoining in P19 following what had the potential to be his final stop of the race.
As the race approached the mid-point, a range of strategies were unfolding up and down the pit lane. When the first cycle of stops was completed on lap 35, Fraser and Ojeda were holding P14 and P19 respectively, ready to fight in the mid-pack.
By lap 45, Fraser had been working his way through before taking his final of two stops, diving into the lane from third on the road. Unfortunately for Fraser, it was his turn to have a difficult stop, with a slow right-rear change causing some delays. He would rejoin in P14.
With 10 laps to go, Fraser remained P14 while Ojeda was P18, but soon, the race would soon again turn chaotic when along with many in the field, the PremiAir Racing Camaros were lucky to avoid disaster when Brodie Kostecki spun across the track amidst a large plume of dust with seven laps remaining.
Under the resulting safety car, the team took the opportunity to pit the #31 a third and final time for fresh tyres to set him up for a final push across what would be a three-lap dash to the finish. Across those final laps, Fraser would climb from P13 to P11, and Ojeda from P18 to P15 – finishing positions which would be reclassified in their favour to P10 and P14 following the application of a post-race 30 second penalty for Chaz Mostert.
PremiAir Racing now turns their attentions to returning home to Australia ahead of the Tasmania Super 440 across May 22-24. For event information, visit www.supercars.com
QUOTEBOARD: CHRISTCHURCH SUPER 440 – SUNDAY 19 APRIL 2026
Jayden Ojeda – #31 PremiAir Racing Camaro
“Today was definitely challenging, but there are a lot of positives to take out of the weekend. We had two top ten qualifying results and came away with an eighth, an 11th and a 12th, so we’ve been right around that top ten mark most of the time, which is encouraging.
The car speed has been strong, and it shows we’re heading in the right direction. There were a few mistakes on my side and a couple of operational things we need to tidy up, but once we get on top of those, the results will come.
We’ve got a bit of time before Tasmania now, so we’ll go away, do our homework and come back ready to have a proper crack.”
Declan Fraser – #777 PremiAir Racing Camaro
“We’ve just wrapped up a pretty big weekend here in Pune, and it’s been a really cool track to race on — it definitely made for some good racing.
To come through from P23 to P10 is a strong result for us. The team has worked really hard to iron out a few issues we’ve been dealing with, and it’s starting to come together now.
Hodgie and I have been chipping away at understanding what we need from the car, and I feel like we’re starting to get on top of that, which is encouraging.
Massive thanks to everyone at PremiAir Racing for their effort. We’ll take the positives from this one and keep pushing — hopefully we can keep knocking on the door of the top ten and take that next step soon.”
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