Tim Slade will contest the 2023 Repco Supercars Championship with PremiAir Racing with the number 23 emblazoned on his new Gen3 Camaro.
Slade has previously run the #23 in 2008 with his self-run SladeSpeed team in the Fujitsu V8 Supercars (Super2) and was carrying the number when he broke through for his first race and round win
The 37-year-old – who is a two-time Supercars race winner, has stood on the podium 17 times, and secured a pair of pole positions – will race for PremiAir Racing for the first time at the season opener in Newcastle (March 10-12).
Slade is a seasoned Supercars competitor and will celebrate his 400th Supercars race start when he rolls out onto the track in Newcastle – making him just the 20th driver to start 400 or more races in the category.
The #23 was last seen in ‘main game’ Supercars competition at the start of the 2020 season and it comes with a winning history of two race wins in Darwin and Tasmania.
“My first racing number in karts was the #24, which I used for the first half of my karting career,” Slade explains.
“When I moved into the top junior class that number was already taken, so I dropped the ‘4’ and from then on, I used #2.
“The next time in my career I had the opportunity to pick my own number was in 2008 with SladeSpeed, but again, the #24 was already taken and so was #2, so I chose the #23 as it is obviously close to #24!
“I also generally just liked the number, having been a bit of an NBA fan as a kid with Michael Jordan and also the cricket with Shane Warne, who both carried the 23 in their careers.”
Slade said the last time he raced with the #23 was a special time, which led him to his current main game success.
“Racing in 2008 using the #23 with SladeSpeed was a special year, due to the way we went about it, and that made my first race and round win in Supercars that year feel even better,” he said.
“It was a massive effort from my whole family along with my long-time supporter, James Rosenberg, and I guess you could say that campaign really helped to create the opportunity for my start in the main Supercars category.
“With the history behind it, I really want to say thank you to Peter (Xiberras, team owner) for allowing me to choose my own number upon joining his team – it is really nice to have a bit more of a personal feel to it all.
“I am greatly looking forward to this new era in my Supercars main game career with PremiAir Racing and to be carrying #23 as I make my 400th Supercars race start in Newcastle – I can’t wait to get into it.”
Tim Slade will race alongside new stablemate Jimmy Golding for PremiAir Racing in the 2023 Supercars Championship as the team looks to undertake its second season in the category following a successful rookie year in 2022, which included multiple top-ten qualifying and race results and two top ten shootout appearances.
For more information on PremiAir Racing, please visit www.premiairracing.sailorstudio.net 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
