PremiAir Racing has capped off a huge day at the AirTouch 500 with a brilliant P5 for Jayden (Juice) Ojeda & David (DRuss) Russell, a new Supercars personal-best result for both Juice and his engineer Andrew (Gilly) Gilliam. While a strong run for Declan (Decca) Fraser & Nash (Flash) Morris came to a heartbreaking end with an oil pressure issue late in the race.
The day began with a massive behind-the-scenes effort. Following an engine change on the #777 overnight, the PremiAir Racing crew worked tirelessly to have the car ready to go for Sunday morning’s 20-minute Warm-Up.
Grey skies quickly turned to rain during the session, giving both cars valuable running in changing conditions. The co-drivers began the session before both cars returned to pit lane for fuel rig testing, driver changes and a switch to wet tyres as the rain intensified.
With the main drivers aboard for the closing stages, Juice had a small slide off while exploring the limits of the wet tyre but quickly rejoined and continued without issue.
At the chequered flag, Decca was P12 with a 1:19.306, while Juice finished the session P16 with a 1:19.375 against a wet-weather benchmark of 1:18.181.
With the track declared wet ahead of the start, Race 29 presented plenty of strategic questions from the outset.
DRuss started the #31 from P10, while Decca lined up the #777 from P24 for what was scheduled to be a 147-lap, 500km contest.
From there, both cars settled into a long and challenging race as the team worked through changing track conditions, Safety Car periods, driver changes, fuel strategy and tyre management.
The #31 continued to make progress throughout the race, putting itself firmly in contention for a strong result. Juice made what would be his final stop on Lap 111, taking four tyres and enough fuel to reach the chequered flag.
Decca made his final visit to pit lane on Lap 117, also taking four tyres and fuel to the finish.
With 17 laps remaining at that stage, Juice had climbed to P6, matching his Supercars career-best result while Decca was running solidly in P17.
The closing stages became a balancing act. Fuel saving, tyre life, and what each car had left in reserve all played a role.
Unfortunately, on Lap 135, Decca’s strong recovery from P24 came to an abrupt end when the #777 lost oil pressure and stopped out on track. It was a bitter conclusion after a determined drive had put the car firmly inside the top 20.
With Safety Car periods and wet-weather conditions extending the race, the AirTouch 500 ultimately went time-certain. Once the 17:23 time limit was reached, the race was completed one lap later, bringing the chequered flag out after 141 laps rather than the scheduled 147.
Up front, Juice kept fighting and brought the #31 home P6 on the road.
Following the chequered flag, Payne received a five-second time penalty, elevating Juice and PremiAir Racing to P5.
The result marks a significant milestone for the #31 side of the garage, with P5 a new personal-best Supercars race result for both Juice and his engineer Gilly. A great reward for the work the pair and the entire crew have continued to put in, and a strong result from a demanding afternoon of changing conditions, strategy calls and race management.
From P10 on the grid to P5 at the finish, the result also comfortably improves on PremiAir Racing’s best finish of P10 in this race last year.
A massive effort from everyone at PremiAir Racing across the entire weekend, particularly the crew after the overnight engine change on #777.
One car inside the top five, plenty of pace and fight shown across both sides of the garage, and a huge team effort through one of the most challenging races of the season.
QUOTEBOARD: AIRTOUCH 500 – Sunday 13th September 2026
Roland Dane – Team Principal
“We’ll take fifth from that. It was a hard-earned fifth place for the #31 in very difficult conditions, so we’re very happy with that.
Unfortunately, the #777 had an engine problem, which we’re still getting to the bottom of, but it was a very tough day for everyone out there with the conditions.
We’re pleased to have moved Jayden up to 12th in the championship, and we’ve still got a shot at the top 10 depending on what happens at Bathurst.”
Jayden Ojeda / David Russell – #31 PremiAir Racing Camaro
Jayden Ojeda
“It was pretty chaotic out there. We were expecting a little bit of rain, but definitely not as much as we ended up getting.
DRuss did an awesome job to bring the car back to me in one piece. That was a task in itself with how much aquaplaning there was and how difficult the conditions were. The crew were awesome as well, all the pit stops were really strong, and we just kept chipping away.
We had a really strong car in the wet and found ourselves inside the top five. As the track started to dry, we struggled a little bit. I think a lot of the qualities that made the car really nice in the wet probably worked against us a little once it dried out.
Ultimately, though, it was awesome to hang in there and come away with a top-five result. It’s my first top five, which is really special, and an awesome way to finish 500 kilometres around Tailem Bend.”
David Russell
“Wow, there was a lot going on for the first round of the Enduro Cup. For me, I was just glad to get off the line and get going, because it’s not often you get to do a wet start in a Supercar.
The heavens opened up and the conditions were treacherous. Visibility was incredibly poor, there was a lot of aquaplaning, and they were probably some of the most difficult stints I’ve done in a Supercar. At times, you couldn’t even see the rain light of the car in front.
It was disappointing to get turned around and hit a couple of times, because I feel like we could have been a lot further up without those incidents. There was obviously a lot happening, but the main thing was making sure we brought the car home while still trying to recover as much ground as we could.
Gilly did a great job with the strategy, the teamwork was excellent and all the pit stops were really strong. Jayden did a mega job after I handed the car over to him in the wet, and then continued that through the dry stints with a stellar drive.
To come away with P5 to kick off the Enduro Cup is a great result, and I’m really looking forward to getting to Bathurst.”
Declan Fraser / Nash Morris – #777 PremiAir Racing Camaro
Declan Fraser
“AirTouch 500 done for Nash and me, and it was a pretty rough old day.
I jumped in for the first stint, and we tried something a little bit different with the strategy. We made a lot of ground from P24 and worked our way well inside the top 10, which was really positive.
Nash jumped in after that, and the conditions were absolutely treacherous, but our pace was definitely there. Unfortunately, the engine let go with only a couple of laps remaining, which was a tough way to finish the day.
Thanks to everyone for the support. We’ll put this one behind us and roll on to Bathurst. I cannot wait.”
Nash Morris
“Yeah, we were going along alright. I had a bit of a run-in with the eventual race winner and unfortunately got spun around at the second-last corner, which was pretty disappointing.
It was really tough out there, so I’m just happy to be standing here after it all, to be honest. In the end, it didn’t really matter too much with the engine issue we had late in the race, but overall there were still some positives to take from the day.”
#FuelledByAmbition
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