Fresh from a highly successful test day at Queensland Raceway, PremiAir Racing is looking forward to making the most of any and all opportunities to advance at this weekend’s Penrite Oil Sandown SuperSprint (August 19-21).
Three 36-lap races will be held for the Repco Supercars Championship field at the historic Sandown Raceway this weekend. Friday will also host a special additional drivers only session in preparation for the fast-approaching Repco Bathurst 1000.
PremiAir Racing Team Principal, Matt Cook, said the weekend could be a key turning point for the rookie outfit which fields the #31 Subway PremiAir Racing Supercar and the #22 PremiAir Coca-Cola Racing Supercar.
“We are half way through our first season here at PremiAir Racing now and it is no secret it had been a learning curve and one that we have been throwing everything at as we seek to advance up the grid,” Cook said.
“At each event, we are learning more and stepping forward more, both on the track and in the garage, and we have been incredibly proud of the improvements and the progress we have been making together as a team.
“Last week we were able to hold a full test day at Queensland Raceway, with our entire crew, Jimmy and Chris, and co-drivers Dylan O’Keeffe and Cameron Hill all working together to make sure we extracted the absolute most possible out of the day in terms of advancements and learning as we look to set up the second half of our season.
“The timing is great, because now we head straight into Sandown and then into the Repco Bathurst 1000 and I really feel like we have some great momentum behind us. I am looking forward to seeing that continue to build and push us forward at Sandown this weekend.”
Jimmy Golding has enjoyed strong success at Sandown Raceway in the past in both Supercars and other categories
“Sandown is a track I really enjoy, and I have had some pretty good results there previously, including a couple of wins in S5000 and Super2, and I just missed out on a podium in 2017 with Garth Tander at the Sandown 500,” Golding explained.
“It was also awesome to get a test day under our belt at Queensland Raceway last week. We were able to run through a lot of different changes on the car and it was good to be able to understand more about the handling and how the car works and reacts to changes. I am excited to take those things on board and use them to our advantage in the next few races.
“When I re-signed to get back into Supercars full-time, Sandown was one of the tracks I was really looking forward to getting back to. Now that I have a couple of races under my belt it is going to be great to go to Sandown; we can get on with the job knowing we have all the little niggly bits sorted out and we can focus on continuing to progress through the field, increasing our car speed and all the rest of it.
“I really can’t wait to get there. I am greatly enjoying working with the team – any time we are at the track I am really enjoying it and I can’t wait to get there and have some fun and also get some good results.”
Pither hasn’t raced at Sandown as a primary driver in the main game since 2016 and is looking forward to tackling the famed venue once again.
“We head to Sandown off the back of a productive test day where we experimented with different changes, got lots of data and went away with some changes that will take us into this weekend with momentum and a better understanding of the car,” Pither said.
“The guys and girls continue to work hard behind the scenes. We are only halfway through the season as a new team, and we are improving as a group each round.
“We are gaining momentum and having experienced engineer Geoff Slater for the last couple rounds has been beneficial. Unfortunately, he won’t be here this weekend, but I am pleased to have Ken Douglas return as we also have a good relationship, he is a professional and we’ll get stuck in.
“This weekend will be the first time I’ve raced in the main game at Sandown as a primary driver since 2016 with Super Black. The circuit is fast flowing with long runs down a couple of straights with fast esses, and given that we’ll most certainly get some rain, there should be lots of fun and carnage – hopefully we stay out of trouble!
“What will also be great is that I won’t just have my sponsor Coca-Cola here with me this weekend – my parents are also going to be trackside from New Zealand! They haven’t been able to see me race since COVID started, so that will be pretty cool.”
PremiAir Racing will hit Sandown Raceway alongside the rest of the Repco Supercars Championship field for the first time this year on Friday 19 August for two practice sessions (including one additional drivers’ only session). Saturday 20 August will feature a third practice session, a three-part qualifier, and then the first of three 36 lap races for the weekend. Sunday the 21st of August will feature two lots of qualifying and two further 36-lap races. For the full event schedule and event information, visit www.supercars.com.au
For more information on PremiAir Hire Racing, please visit www.premiairhire.com.au 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/ and www.twitter.com/premiairracing
