PremiAir Racing confirms Pither exit

Chris Pither will depart PremiAir Racing at the end of the season, the team has confirmed.

Pither has steered the #22 Coca-Cola Holden Commodore for the new team in 2022.

The New Zealander will race the car at the Gold Coast and Adelaide events, the final two rounds of 2022.

Pither was recruited alongside Garry Jacobson for PremiAir Racing’s maiden season.

The team was born out of Team Sydney, which was purchased by Peter Xiberras.

Jacobson was replaced by James Golding after June’s Merlin Darwin Triple Crown.

PremiAir has made sharp progress as the season has worn on.

Notably, Jacobson scored top 10s at Albert Park, and Golding at Sandown and Pukekohe.

Pither joined the team in January

Pither’s best result of 12th came at the OTR SuperSprint in late July.

In a statement, PremiAir Racing thanked Pither and wished him the best for his future.

PremiAir Racing has yet to officially name its drivers for 2023, which will be the first of the Gen3 era.

The Gold Coast-based team will campaign Chevrolet Camaros from next season.

Tim Slade, whose departure from CoolDrive Racing was recently made official, has been linked to the team.

Golding has impressed in his five rounds in PremiAir colours.

The team also has several young driver options at its disposal, notably Super2 young guns Declan Fraser and Cameron Hill.

Hill made his Bathurst debut alongside Pither last weekend.

The Kiwi was an effective replacement for Fabian Coulthard

The PremiAir statement also said announcements regarding a new driver for the 2023 Supercars season will be made at a later date.

"It is no secret that things came together very quickly at the start of the 2022 season for us as a new team,” Xiberras said.

"Chris’ input with his knowledge of the car as we created a whole new program while jumping straight into events was much appreciated.

"While we may not be working together following the conclusion of the current season, we wish Chris all the best and look forward to racing him in the future.”

Team Principal Matt Cook echoed Xiberras’ comments.

"Supercar racing is a team effort and Chris came to PremiAir Racing with valuable knowledge,” Cook said.

“[He] has been an integral part of our development across the year, and his commitment to striving for results is commendable.

"We thank him for all of his efforts across the year as we have raced around the country, and we wish him all the best."

Pither and Golding's seasons will continue at the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 on October 28-30.

2023 Repco Supercars Championship grid (as of October 14, 2022)