Day One of the Sydney 500 delivered encouraging progress for PremiAir Racing in the opening round of the 2026 Supercars season.
Jayden Ojeda recovered from an opening-lap setback in the #31 PremiAir Racing Camaro to finish P13 in Race 1, while Declan Fraser brought the #777 PremiAir Racing Camaro home in P19 in his first race start for the team, capping off a busy and productive day.
The 100km sprint under lights at Sydney Motorsport Park quickly evolved into a strategic contest, with a compulsory pit stop and the ever-present threat of rain influencing the race.
Ojeda endured a tough launch off the line, dropping six positions on the opening lap and forcing an early fightback. An aggressive early stop for four tyres allowed the team to maximise the undercut window, and he steadily worked his way back through the field to secure P13 at the chequered flag.
Fraser, meanwhile, delivered a composed performance in his first full-time outing for PremiAir Racing. Completing his stops during the late-race pit cycle, he banked valuable race mileage and demonstrated encouraging pace on his way to P19.
Earlier in the day, solid groundwork was established in Practice 1, with both Camaros rolling out immediately to build a baseline. Ojeda climbed to P3 by the end of the session in a strong showing, while Fraser finished P14. Both cars also completed practice starts and Safety Car procedure work post-session.
In Race 1 Qualifying, neither driver progressed to Part 2, with Ojeda securing P13 on the grid and Fraser P23.
With two developing drivers and significant off-season change, the opening day delivered meaningful mileage, important data and a clear direction forward as the team resets for the remainder of the weekend
Jayden (Juice) Ojeda – #31 PremiAir Racing Camaro
“Yeah, overall a pretty solid day. P13 in qualifying and P13 in the race.
The race itself wasn’t that straightforward. I didn’t get the best start, and the first few laps were a bit of a shocker, to be honest. We dropped back to P21.
From there, though, the car was strong, and I felt really comfortable. We just got stuck in that nose-to-tail train for a while. The team did a great job putting me on the early stop and committing to the longer second stint to make the most of the pace we had.
We were able to claw back a lot of the ground we lost early and worked our way back to where we started, which was really positive.
To come away with P13, considering how the race began, that’s a positive first race. The car speed is there, which is encouraging. It’s just about getting those first few laps right, and that comes with experience.
We’ll go back, review what I could’ve done better, and aim for a stronger start tomorrow.”
Declan Fraser – #777 PremiAir Racing Camaro
“Yeah, first day back full-time and it felt pretty good. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve been in this position, so I’m really happy with how the day came together in the end.
We started a little bit rough. Practice wasn’t too bad; we were hovering just outside the top 10 at times, but in qualifying, we just didn’t quite nail that final lap when it counted. That put us on the back foot, starting buried in the pack.
From there, the team did a fantastic job with the pit stops and every procedure. The strategy calls put us in the right position, and we were able to come home in P19 after a couple of good battles late in the race. The race pace was strong, which is encouraging.
There’s definitely a lot to build on. You’re never satisfied, and I’m definitely not satisfied with 19th, but we’ll keep digging, keep learning and see what we can do tomorrow and Sunday.”
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