Heading into this weekend’s Melbourne SuperSprint, PremiAir Nulon Racing says qualifying well will be more critical than ever with the Supercars Championship’s four sprint races at the event to have no pit stops.
The March 21-24 event, part of the Australian Grand Prix, will feature the only Supercars races of 2024 to have no pit stops, presenting a unique challenge at what is already a challenging circuit for the category’s Camaros and Mustangs.
“Having no pit stops means qualifying is more important than ever, as any opportunity to use pit stop strategy to advance up the field is obviously no longer available like it is at all the other events on our championship calendar,” PremiAir Nulon Racing Team Principal, Stephen Robertson, said.
“That is certainly going to present a challenge, but it is one we are eager to take on at what will be our team’s third appearance at the Australian Grand Prix for the Melbourne SuperSprint.
“We are certainly eager and hopeful for a podium finish this weekend. Of course that is always true, but we are really feeling like we are so close at the moment, especially following a rigorous review of our Bathurst 500 performance which we have used to refine our strategies for the distinct challenges of the Melbourne SuperSprint’s sprint races.
“With ten appearances on-track across the four days, four qualifying sessions and four races, we will have plenty of time on-track in front of what is set to be an incredible crowd to make our mark, and hopefully come away with that maiden podium.”
Jimmy Golding in the #31 PremiAir Nulon Racing Camaro will be taking part in his fourth run at this event and his second with the PremiAir Nulon Racing team. After a strong start to the 2024 season yielded two Top Ten Shootout performances (P6 and P4) and a top five race finish on Sunday, Golding is hoping to build on that momentum this weekend.
“This event is certainly very different to all of our other events,” Golding reflects.
“It allows us to have multiple opportunities with four qualifying sessions and four races in the one weekend, and of course supporting Formula One at one of the biggest sporting events in Australia is pretty cool.
“At the same time, it is very challenging because it is a fast track with a lot of big and flowing corners which isn’t really what our cars are designed for, but that just means it is very rewarding when you get every element right to complete a good lap.”
For Tim Slade in the #23 PremiAir Nulon Racing Camaro, it will be his fifth appearance at the Melbourne Super Sprint and his second for PremiAir Nulon Racing. He will be hoping to improve his best Albert Park qualifying and finishing position of third (both for race three of the 2019 event).
“The biggest challenge will be qualifying as the races are short and there aren’t any pit stops, which eliminates any strategising your way forwards in the race if you don’t maximise qualifying,” said Slade, who has secured four top five finishes and 12 top ten finishes at the event previously.
“While it is shame we don’t have our own pit lane it is cool to be a part of a big event such as this alongside Formula One as well as Formula Two and Formula Three – the F1 cars are mind blowingly fast in the flesh so I am looking forward to that as well as part of a busy weekend for us.”
Another unique aspect of this weekend’s event is the fact that the Supercars paddock area will be restricted to the public due to safety regulations.
“It is going to be very strange not having that public access to our Supercars paddock area at this event; we love having the fans come by and having that interaction,” Robertson said.
“Hopefully we can still catch up with plenty of the fans at events around the circuit and we will be doing our best as always to keep everyone up to date on our social channels and on our website.”
The Melbourne SuperSprint as part of the Australian Grand Prix will be held across March 21 to 24, 2024, at the Albert Park Street Circuit in Melbourne, Victoria. For event information and schedules, visit www.supercars.com.au
For more information on PremiAir Nulon 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
