PREMIAIR RACING SHOWS PACE, RESILIENCE ACROSS SUPER SATURDAY IN CHRISTCHURCH
It was a hard-fought and busy Saturday at the Christchurch Super 440 for PremiAir Racing today, highlighted by two top ten qualifying results and a P8 race result in front of a sold-out crowd at Ruapuna Motorsport Park.
The day opened with back-to-back qualifying for Races 11 and 12, with Jayden “Juice” Ojeda progressing to the part two top-ten deciders for both of today’s races.
In Race 11 qualifying, Ojeda comfortably progressed through part one with P8 before securing P10 in the final segment, ending the session as the fastest Chevrolet runner. Declan Fraser claimed P15 in the #777 PremiAir Racing Camaro before a particularly intense turnaround when a swift power-steering pump change was required to ensure he made Race 12 qualifying.
For that outing, both cars rolled out on the super soft tyre, with Ojeda again delivering under pressure to advance through part one in P8 before closing out part two in P10, while Fraser finished part one in P19.
Race 11 saw a determined performance from the team with strong pace across both PremiAir Racing Camaros.
In the #31, Ojeda launched from P10 and despite losing ground off the start, quickly reset and began moving forward. By lap five he had climbed back into the top ten, continuing to build momentum with a clean pass on James Golding to take P9. A flat-spotted tyre soon after forced an early strategic call, with the #31 Camaro pitting on lap 12 for four tyres to reset the stint.
Fraser meanwhile ran the alternate strategy, extending his opening run to maximise track position before taking his compulsory stop on lap 23. A tidy two-tyre stop returned him to the fight in P14, well-placed for a push to the finish.
As the race entered its final phase, Ojeda climbed as high as P7 before coming under pressure in the closing laps, ultimately securing P8 at the flag. Fraser was on for a top-15 before late-race contact triggered a spin, dropping him to P20 at the finish.
Race 12 – another 37 lap/120km competition – wrapped up the day with both PremiAir Racing Camaros fighting back from a difficult opening lap to secure P11 for Ojeda and P22 for Fraser after a challenging run on the super soft compound.
Starting from P10 and P19 respectively, both drivers were shuffled backwards in the opening corners, with Ojeda dropping to P16 and Fraser to P23. With tyre degradation expected to play a significant role, the focus quickly shifted to management, recovery, and maximising strategy opportunities.
Fraser was the first to stop, pitting on Lap 16 for two rear tyres in an effort to clear traffic. A slight delay on the right-rear wheel nut cost a handful of seconds, but he rejoined with clean air to build his second stint. Ojeda ran longer before taking four tyres on Lap 20, with the crew delivering a fast, tidy stop.
Once the CPS cycle completed, Ojeda emerged in P14 and began chipping his way forward, making steady gains as the stint unfolded. A late pass on Triple Eight’s Will Brown moved him into P12 before he crossed the line in P11, just outside the top ten after a strong recovery drive. Fraser pushed on to cross the line P22, where he stayed following the application of a five second penalty incurred during his late race battles with Macauley Jones for position.
QUOTEBOARD: CHRISTCHURCH SUPER 440 – SATURDAY 18 APRIL 2026
Jayden Ojeda – #31 PremiAir Racing Camaro
“We had a pretty solid Saturday overall. To make the top ten in both qualifying sessions was a good step forward for us, and it shows we’re starting to build some consistency in the car .
Race 11 was a strong one. We didn’t quite get the launch we wanted, but we were able to reset, work our way forward and had some really good pace. The strategy call to pit early after the tyre issue put us back in the game, and to come away with P8 – our first top ten as a new driver line-up – is a great reward for the whole team.
Race 12 was a bit tougher at the start getting shuffled back, but we stuck to the plan, managed the tyres and chipped away at it. To recover back up to P11 shows the pace is there, it’s just about putting it all together across the full race.
Big credit to the PremiAir Racing crew, they did a great job today. There’s plenty of positives to take, and we’ve got a clear direction on what we can improve heading into tomorrow.”
Optional shorter version:
“Really positive day for us. Two top ten shootouts and a P8 in Race 11 shows we’re building good momentum. Race 12 was a solid recovery as well. The pace is there – now it’s about putting it all together tomorrow.”
Declan Fraser – #777 PremiAir Racing Camaro
“It was a bit of a mixed day for us. Qualifying was pretty full-on with the quick turnaround, and while we didn’t quite end up where we wanted for Race 12, the team did a great job getting the car turned around after the power steering issue .
In Race 11, the strategy was a good one and we were in the fight for a top-15, which was encouraging. Unfortunately, the late-race contact put an end to that and dropped us back, which was disappointing because the pace was there.
Race 12 was a tough start getting shuffled back early, but we tried to be smart with the strategy and give ourselves a chance in the second stint. We had a small delay in the stop, but once we had some clean air, the car felt reasonable and we were able to keep pushing.
There are definitely some positives to take in terms of pace and how the car felt across the day. We’ll go through it all tonight, tidy up a few things and come back ready to have a crack tomorrow.”
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