Stanaway responds to PremiAir Racing departure

With news of Jayden Ojeda and Declan Fraser signing on with PremiAir Racing for 2026, Richie Stanaway will depart the team at the end of the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship.

Confirmed Monday, Ojeda and Fraser will replace Blanchard Racing Team-bound James Golding and Stanaway at the Peter Xiberras-owned squad next season.

Stanaway is now looking to chase a plum enduro drive in 2026, with the Kiwi set to be a key player in the co-driver market. The New Zealand famously won the 2023 Repco Bathurst 1000 with Shane van Gisbergen, and raced to victory in the 2017 Sandown 500 with Cam Waters.

Stanaway has shown glimpses of speed in 2025 aboard his PremiAir Chevrolet, racing into the top five in Tasmania and impressing in the wet at Mount Panorama before a crash.

While not drawn to discuss Monday's news, Stanaway maintained he still has three rounds left to snatch a strong result with PremiAir before the 2025 season is out.

"I guess it's not been an ideal season, but there are three rounds to go, so we just want to try and make the most of those three events,” Stanaway told Supercars.com.

"I think The Finals are going to mix everything up a bit, so hopefully there's an opportunity in there somewhere to grab a good result, and I can go out on a high.”

Stanaway joined PremiAir Racing in place of the retired Tim Slade.

With Golding off to BRT, questions remained over Stanaway's future before Bathurst, the Kiwi telling Supercars.com before The Bend that he was hopeful of returning in 2026.

Stanaway told multiple media outlets in the lead-up to Bathurst that 2025 was the first of a two-year deal. On Monday, a PremiAir Racing spokesperson told Supercars.com that Stanaway's contract was a one-year deal for 2025 with an option for another year.

For now, Stanaway has seven races across rounds at Surfers Paradise, Sandown and Adelaide to make a splash before working on next year.

On his 2026 plans, the 33-year-old added: “I’ll be on the lookout for the best option for a co-drive.”

In Monday's release, Xiberras paid tribute to Golding and Stanaway, saying: “I want to take this opportunity to recognise Jimmy and Richie for their professionalism and commitment to keeping the PremiAir Racing Camaros competitive.

"Their Bathurst 1000 drive showed exactly the kind of talent and passion they bring to the sport, and I wish them all the best for the future.

"While there is a lot of talk about 2026 at the moment, both for our team and throughout the Supercars paddock, we still have plenty of racing to do in 2025 including at the Gold Coast 500 this weekend, where we will be looking to round up our season on the best note possible."

Track action on the Gold Coast commences on Friday. Tickets are on sale now.