PremiAir Racing showed resilience and determination in Race 21 at the NTI Townsville 500, with Jayden Ojeda narrowly missing a top-10 finish after an impressive recovery drive, while teammate Declan Fraser battled through a challenging afternoon.
The day began with qualifying, where Ojeda comfortably progressed through the opening qualifying session before narrowly missing a place in the Top Ten Shootout. Fraser looked set to improve on his final flying lap in Part 1; however, a mistake while pushing for every tenth proved costly, leaving him further back on the grid than the team’s pace had suggested.
Race 21 featured 68 laps, 200 kilometres of racing and two compulsory pit stops, placing a premium on strategy and flawless execution from the crews.
Although Ojeda launched well from the start, his race took an early setback at Turn 2 after contact from behind in the opening lap. The incident nearly spun the #31 Camaro and forced him to take evasive action, dropping him to 21st position despite getting away cleanly from the line.
From there, Ojeda produced one of the standout recovery drives of the afternoon. He steadily worked his way back through the field, combining strong race pace with smart strategy and two clean compulsory pit stops from the Premiair Racing crew. As the race entered its closing stages, he continued to pick off rivals before crossing the line in 11th place, just one position shy of another top-10 finish.
Fraser also showed encouraging pace throughout the race. Starting from the rear half of the field, he made early gains before settling into a hard-fought afternoon. Supported by faultless pit work from the PremiAir Racing crew, Fraser continued to push until the chequered flag to finish 21st.
The team’s pit crew once again delivered under pressure, completing all four compulsory pit stops cleanly and efficiently despite a busy pit lane during the second round of stops. The seamless execution ensured both Camaros lost minimal time during the crucial strategy phase of the race.
Following the race, Race Engineer Gilly summed up the team’s outlook with a simple message over the radio to Ojeda: “Plenty of positives. Eyes forward to tomorrow.”
PremiAir Racing will now regroup overnight before returning for the final day of the NTI Townsville 500 on Sunday.
Team Owner Peter Xiberras will not be with the team on Sunday as he heads to Sydney Motorsport Park to compete in the Clippy Cup Enduro. Peter will share driving duties in a Hyundai alongside his son, Christopher Xiberras, and Ferrari driver and TCR champion Josh Buchan.
The team will be looking to finish the weekend strongly when racing resumes tomorrow.
QUOTEBOARD: ITM TOWNSVILLE 500 – SATURDAY 11 JULY 2026
Jayden Ojeda – #31 PremiAir Racing Camaro
“It was a busy day with the 200-kilometre race. We qualified a little out of position, which made life difficult, but I got a really good start off the line. Unfortunately, I got caught up at Turn Two, half-spun and dropped back to around P21 by the end of the first lap.
From there, we just chipped away. Jordan and the boys gave me a really nice car, and we went long in the first stint, which gave us a good tyre advantage across the final two stints. That allowed us to make some moves and work our way back to P11, which was a great result considering where we were after lap one.
The team also delivered some awesome pit stops, and we were second quickest in pit lane, so a massive thanks to everyone. We’re making good progress, and we’ll keep chipping away.”
Declan Fraser – #777 PremiAir Racing Camaro
“Today wasn’t what we hoped for, but we’ll have a good look through everything tonight, reset and come back stronger tomorrow.
I had an off in qualifying, so I’m sorry to the team for that one. In the race, we struggled a little with outright pace, so we need to review both my driving and the car set-up and work out where we can improve.
We know we have a good qualifying car when we put everything together, so the goal tomorrow is to bounce back and have a proper crack at making the top 10.”
Stay in the loop with PremiAir Racing all weekend long! Get live race coverage and exclusive team updates via our WhatsApp Channel, proudly powered by Air & Allied Sales.
Join now: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaEGGiJ2kNFlJu5eeo1H
For more information on PremiAir 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.x.com/premiairracin