PremiAir aiming high with Slade/Golding line-up

PremiAir Racing has high hopes of both Tim Slade and James Golding being fixtures of the top 10 in 2023.

Slade and Golding will lead PremiAir Racing’s charge into the Gen3 era.

Neither driver started 2022 with the team, which started life in Supercars with Chris Pither and Garry Jacobson.

Golding replaced Jacobson mid-season, while Slade was recruited from Blanchard Racing Team.

The mid-season switch worked, with Golding reaching Shootouts and racing in the top half of the grid.

Given all teams have new cars — and with PremiAir Racing using turnkey Triple Eight Camaros — expectations are high for 2023.

“We’re really expecting both our guys to be consistently in the top 10,” Team Principal Matt Cook told Supercars’ Cool Down Lap podcast.

Golding impressed in quick time

“That’s not being ambitious — that’s being realistic.

“Tim will definitely do that for us... Jimmy has a lot to learn, he’s still admitting that himself.

“We’ll have Tim here to coach him a bit as well, and we’ll keep two cars in the top 10 most of the year.”

The team took over Team Sydney early in 2022, and quickly formed a Supercars team.

A mid-season move into a new Arundel workshop was followed by improved results.

It encouraged Slade to join the team, along with the lure of a Triple Eight technical alliance.

Given Golding’s performance, Cook said the next step is being competitive on a more consistent basis.

Slade brings nearly 400 races of experience

“That was a masterstroke to put Jimmy in the car, he kept getting quicker and quicker,” Cook said.

“We made some Shootouts, which was a bucket list tick.

"Now we’ve got to continue with the pace into next year, and convert them into solid race results.

“We know we’re quick over one lap, but we’ve got to get some solid race results, keep our nose clean and see where we end up.”

PremiAir Racing is scheduled to shake down its first Gen3 Camaro at the end of the month at Queensland Raceway.

The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship will commence in Newcastle on March 10-12.

Tickets are on sale on Supercars.com and Ticketek.com.