PremiAir Racing 2024 season review: Potential begins to be realised
As 2024 winds down, Supercars.com is looking over all 11 teams and their performances in this year's Repco Supercars Championship, continuing with PremiAir Racing.
Having made no secrets of his desire for success since joining the Supercars paddock in 2022, Peter Xiberras' then-controversial decision to dump Garry Jacobson mid-season for James Golding finally paid dividends.
Fast forward 18 months, and the 28-year-old has claimed the young team's maiden pole position and podium finish, and took what was by far and away the best championship result in PremiAir's short history in seventh.
Golding emerged as the spearhead of the operation, and a true star of the category this season, and it could've been better yet had it not been for a weekend of team mistakes in pit lane on the Gold Coast.
The enduros were another strong point for Golding, with the addition of David Russell proving to be a massive coup. A podium at Sandown and sixth at Bathurst launching the former briefly into the top five in points.
Whilst one lap honours were almost even, a string of bad luck and poor performances through the year saw Tim Slade buried back in 20th at the end of the season, which was his last in full-time competition having announced his retirement after losing his ride for next year.
It was another big leap forward for PremiAir Racing in 2024; however, the teams in the pecking order above will only get harder to climb over from here.
PremiAir Racing: 2024 season results and head-to-heads
Drivers' finish: James Golding 7th, Tim Slade 20th
Teams' finish: 8th
Best result: 3rd (James Golding/David Russell, Sandown Race 19)
Qualifying head to head: James Golding 13, Tim Slade 11
Race head to head: James Golding 16, Tim Slade 8
What’s next in 2025?
The addition of Richie Stanaway to the mix for 2025 will be fascinating to watch over the course of the season.
Golding and Stanaway have history going back to 2019 with Garry Rogers Motorsport, whilst Stanaway also has a connection with race engineer Andrew Gilliam through online sim racing.
Team and driver must also be eagerly anticipating the thought of having a Triple Eight-built Camaro at Stanaway's disposal again. After all, the last time the 33-year-old drove one, he entered the history books as a Bathurst 1000 winner in 2023.
A strong engineering group led by Ludo Lacroix could also be a big help for Stanaway and also Golding, who will lose regular engineer Romy Mayer around autumn as she prepares to give birth to her second child.
The addition of Stanaway gives PremiAir arguably their strongest driver line-up in their short history, and the Kiwi will know that this is his last shot at making a full-time career work.
With Golding looking to stay as the spearhead, and Stanaway looking to make the most of his final chance, the pair could very well push PremiAir further towards the front in 2025.
