The Tasmania Super 440 will again see us head over water to compete, this time to the ‘Apple Isle’ for Launceston’s Tasmania Super 440.
The cars only got back from NZ on Tuesday last week, which gave us only four days to unpack the container, service the cars, and repack the truck for Mick to leave and get to Port Melbourne, ready to travel on SeaRoad’s Mersey II across the Bass Strait.
As always, I am proud of my crew, who worked perfectly to ensure we were ready for the journey.
Speaking of our team, new faces are joining us for the first time at the track this weekend.
While you will all be aware of our recent appointment of our new Chief Executive Officer, Gwyn Dolphin, this will be his first time actually joining us on the track, and we are greatly looking forward to having him onboard with us as we chase success in Tasmania.
I am also excited to announce a further appointment: Peter Vale has joined PremiAir Racing as our new Team Manager, taking over the reins from Stephen Robertson.
Earlier this year, Robbo decided to step back from full-time motorsport to pursue a personal passion. While I can’t give too many details away, I recommend keeping an eye on social media over the coming months, as RobTok is set to launch his exciting new project!
In the meantime, Stephen has remained actively involved to ensure a smooth transition, and we are incredibly grateful for his outstanding leadership and the lasting contribution he has made to our team’s growth. We wish Stephen all the very best as he embarks on his next chapter.
Peter – who is highly credentialed in Supercars land – will be on track with us in Tasmania, and we hope you will join us in giving him a warm welcome as he starts his journey with us.
What won’t be warm in Tassie is the temperatures – we are looking at colder temps than those experienced in NZ, so we will have to be prepared for that.
I wasn’t on track for the Taupo Super 440 as I was back in Australia for my son James’ wedding to his wonderful bride, Jamilla. It was a very special day, and Carmen and I are so thrilled to formally welcome Jamilla to our family as our new daughter-in-law.
When it comes to the racing this weekend, we will be running a format similar to last round with two short races on Saturday and one longer race on Sunday.
These races will be preceded by high-intensity knock-out qualifying, which means high pressure for drivers and epic entertainment for fans.
For Saturday’s races, there will be a two-part format with the top 10 drivers from the 10-minute part one going through to an eight-minute all-in session to decide the pole.
For Sunday’s race, it will be a three-part process – the first six cars will be knocked out in part one, eight cars in part two, and a top ten shootout will make up part three.
When it comes to the three races, pit stops will be vitally important with a lap of the 2.4km Symmons Plains circuit taking less than a minute – any time lost in the lane will be crippling, so you can rest assured we will be doing everything we can to be on our A-Game.
As for experience, Jimmy achieved a top-ten result in the #31 PremiAir Racing Camaro in 2023, finishing 9th in race 2, and has a best qualifying position of 6th (2023, race 2). Richie, meanwhile, has qualified as high as 7th there (2021 – Race 2), but has yet to taste any success there. You can rest assured, we will be working hard to make sure both Jimmy and Richie can come home with new PB results in the PremiAir Racing Camaros this weekend.
Wish us luck!
Peter Xiberras
PremiAir Racing Team Owner
The Tasmania Super 440 will be held at Symmons Plains Raceway in Launceston (Tasmania) across May 9-11. For event information, visit www.supercars.com
PremiAir Racing will carry live race coverage and team updates on its website across the weekend – stay up to date at www.premiairracing.com/track-updates/
For more information on PremiAir 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
