Saturday at the Taupō Super 440 has seen PremiAir Racing deliver a determined effort across an extended racing program amidst pit-stop setbacks, communication hurdles, and threatening weather.
With Sunday’s running cancelled due to the incoming cyclone, today’s scheduled 240km of racing became 320km when race 9 was upgraded from a 37-lap sprint to a 60-lap, 200km outing.
The day began with back-to-back qualifying sessions for Races 8 and 9, both run under the two-part format.
Neither Jayden “Juice” Ojeda or Declan Fraser were able to progress into part two (for the top ten from part one) in either session, with the #31 PremiAir Racing Camaro (Ojeda) securing P18 and P15 on the Race 8 and 9 starting grid respectively, while the #777 (Fraser) would line up P20 and P21.
Race 8 opened the afternoon, with both drivers making immediate gains at the start of the 37-lap race. Juice climbed to P14 in the opening laps, with Fraser close behind in P16.
With the compulsory pit stop (CPS) window opening on lap four, yet no one making a move until much later, there was plenty of tension building across the pit lane by lap 13, where Ojeda was P13 and Fraser P15. As the lane exploded into action soon after, the team executed a split strategy to maximise opportunity, calling the #777 in on lap 19 and the #31 on lap 21 for a pair of clean, four-tyre stops.
When all teams had completed their stops, Ojeda sat P13 and Fraser P17, with both drivers ready to push to the flag. A late lock-up when running P12 resulted in contact and cost Juice a position, seeing him cross the line P13 with a post-race penalty pending. Fraser meanwhile, brought the #777 home in P15. After penalties were applied, Ojeda would be classified P18, and Fraser was elevated to P14.
There wasn’t much time to reset, with the 60-lap Race 9 coming up fast for the Supercars field. Both drivers settled into the early phase, with Ojeda P17 and Fraser P21 at the close of the opening lap, before moving to P16 and P20 respectively by lap 10.
Two enduro-style compulsory stops were called for in this 200km race, and it was a challenging time in the lane for the team this time out. Fraser’s first stop came on lap 17 and was hampered by a cross-threaded wheel nut, and Juice’s lap 23 visit was delayed by a churn connection issue – setbacks which cost valuable seconds but were managed calmly by the crew.
At the half way point, Juice held P16 as Fraser in P22 battled through radio issues that required the team to rely on pit boards.
When the final round of stops arrived as the final 20 laps approached, the #31 was able to complete a clean stop on lap 41 for four tyres and a short fill of fuel, but for Fraser on lap 45, the #777 would again lose time, this time to trouble with the right rear tyre.
Threatening rain in the closing laps added another layer of complexity and saw wet tyres prepped in the lane, but both drivers pushed to the finish with Juice climbing to P14 across the final stint, while Fraser brought the #777 home in P23.
With the Christchurch Super 440 just six days away, the team will now regroup, debrief, and look to build on what was learned across the last two days.
The Christchurch Super 440 will be held across 17-19 April – for all the details, go to www.supercars.com
QUOTEBOARD: TAUPŌ SUPER 440 – SATURDAY 11 APRIL 2026
Jayden Ojeda – #31 PremiAir Racing Camaro
“Wrapping up our only race day here at Taupō, it was a pretty full-on one with two qualifying sessions and two races before the weather rolled in.
We probably underperformed a bit in qualifying, which put us on the back foot, but we recovered well in the first race. Unfortunately, I made a mistake late in that one and picked up a penalty, which cost us what could’ve been a really solid result. That’s on me.
In the longer race, we had a decent start, and the first stint was okay. The pit stop was a little slow, and from there, we just got stuck in traffic and couldn’t really move forward.
All in all, there are still positives to take away from the day, and definitely a few things to work on. We’ll take the learnings and come back ready to go again next weekend.”
Declan Fraser – #777 PremiAir Racing Camaro
“It’s been a solid weekend overall here at Taupō, and I’ve really enjoyed my first time at the track. There were a couple of things that didn’t quite go our way, and the last race was a bit frustrating, but that’s how it goes sometimes.
We came away with a P14 in the first race, which I’m pretty happy with considering we qualified a bit further back than we would’ve liked. I was also a little bit under the weather over the weekend, but I feel like I’m coming out the other side of that now.
Looking ahead to Christchurch, it’s a level playing field with no one having raced there before, which is pretty exciting. Huge thanks to everyone for the support. It really does mean a lot, and I’m looking forward to seeing plenty of Kiwi and Aussie fans at the next round.”
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