PREMIAIR RACING COMES OH-SO-CLOSE TO TOP TEN SHOOTOUT IN BATHURST

One hundredth of a second was all that separated Jimmy Golding and the #31 Subway PremiAir Racing Supercar from the team’s first top ten shootout at the Repco Bathurst 1000 today.

This afternoon’s qualifying session was held in perilous circumstances, with heavy rain greeting the field to start and changeable conditions across the Mountain keeping all of the drivers well on their toes.

Despite Golding’s best efforts to place PremiAir Racing in its first Top Ten Shootout, the #31 entry he is sharing with Dylan O’Keeffe this weekend will start Sunday’s Great Race from P13, with one hundredth of a second the difference between P10 and P13 in a true testament to the sheer competitiveness of the field. Meanwhile, Chris Pither qualified the #22 PremiAir Coca-Cola Racing Supercar he is sharing with Cameron Hill in P21.

Earlier in the day, two hour-long practice sessions – one dry and one wet – were held with the team choosing to focus on pre-race preparations rather than tuning for performance. The #31 finished P21 and P20 respectively, while the #22 was classified P24 and P26.

“It was a very big day, lots went on,” PremiAir Racing Team Principal, Matt Cook, said.

“The inclement weather is so tricky to handle but you can only play what is in front of you and we did the best job we could there.

“The best thing is the cars are nice and straight and we have some pretty pacey cars, so that is always good.

“The car balance is good in the wet and in the dry – at the moment I think the cars are preferring a dry setup but that is not looking like it is going to happen on Sunday!

“From here, we will just try and keep them off the wall and see where we end up at the end of the day on Sunday.”

DRIVER QUOTEBOARD: PREMIAR RACING REPCO BATHURST 1000 – FRIDAY OCTOBER 7, 2022

Jimmy Golding – #31 Subway PremiAir Racing Supercar – main driver

“To be a hundredth off across three cars to get in the 10 is so close and pretty disappointing, but we gave it everything and the team did a good job, we just missed out unfortunately. I had a pretty big moment coming down the hill, so I didn’t really leave too much out there, Sunday was in the back of my mind, but it wasn’t quite enough. So now we will focus on Sunday, that means a lot more than what today does after all.”

Dylan O’Keeffe – #31 Subway PremiAir Racing Supercar – co-driver

“I got some dry laps in the Supercar which was great and got in a rhythm with some consistent lap times, there is still a bit to work on but nevertheless, I was pretty comfortable. I also had some wet laps in the second practice, but it was quite tricky, I didn’t get the tyres up to temperature and get that confident before I handed it over to Jimmy to get ready for qualifying. But at least I had some wet running as well as dry, and then the Cup Car had a wet race, so, they are all laps around the mountain that will be handy for Sunday.”

Chris Pither – #22 PremiAir Coca-Cola Racing Supercar – main driver

“They were very tricky conditions out there this afternoon and we had to constantly be balancing risk versus reward. We didn’t want to push it too far in those conditions, as at all times our main focus has to be on Sunday. This race in reality can be won from anywhere, even from the very last grid spot, we have seen it before. So, we just kept our head down and did the best we could in the conditions, making sure we could bring the best car we can to Sunday.”

Cameron Hill – #22 PremiAir Coca-Cola Racing Supercar – co-driver

“We had some good laps today across a couple of practice sessions, one dry and one wet.  In the dry session I felt really good, I felt quite comfortable. In the wet session it was more about seeing what the track conditions were like, and it was pretty bad. I was being really careful and then I just lost it and aquaplaned trying to come into the pits. That was a bit of a hairy moment, but I am just glad that it was just a spin, and we could keep on going. There were a few of us that all gave that a go (aquaplaning at pit entry) so I was definitely in good company!”

PremiAir Racing will return to the track for day three of the Repco Bathurst 1000 tomorrow (Saturday 8 October). Saturday’s running for PremiAir Racing will feature practice 5 (10.20am – 11.20am) and practice 6 (1.00pm – 2.00pm). The Top Ten Shootout is scheduled for 5.05pm. For event information, visit www.supercars.com.au

PremiAir Racing will be publishing a day wrap at the conclusion of each day of the event which will be emailed to subscribers, published on social media, and also available on the website. Race weekend updates will also be published across the weekend on the www.premiairracing.sailorstudio.net website and published to social media.

For more information on PremiAir Racing and 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/ , www.twitter.com/premiairracing and our Track Updates page https://premiairracing.com/track-updates/