PremiAir Racing vows to give Cooper Murray time
Declan Fraser the third mid-season departure in team's short history
Murray signed on with PremiAir until the end of 2028
PremiAir Racing owner Peter Xiberras is hopeful Cooper Murray can contribute from the get-go, while insisting "familiarity takes time.”
Murray arrives off the back of a standout weekend at Mount Panorama, and partners standout rookie Jayden Ojeda in one of the most exciting new pairings on the grid.
While freshly 25 years old, Murray has 70 races’ experience in the main game, and has already experienced the highs and lows of what Supercars can offer.
Critically, the General Motors-engineered driver swap has allowed PremiAir Racing to secure a driver with relative experience.
Xiberras, though, is determined to give Murray time to gel with the team across the next three rounds in order to springboard into 2027.
"For Cooper, this will be the beginning of his working relationship with our engineers and crew under race conditions,” Xiberras said in a pre-round report.
"With his place in the team confirmed for 2027 and 2028, these remaining rounds are a valuable opportunity to understand each other and establish how we work best together.
"We want him to feel comfortable contributing from the outset, while recognising that familiarity takes time.”
Getting that comfort down pat is critical for Murray, who recently shed light on the rapid-fire preparation required to be ready for a taxing weekend in Surfers Paradise.
"Obviously it's a new car for me, so [have to] do a seat insert,” Murray recently told Supercars.com.
"We've got to make sure all the pedals and everything's in the right position, so when I do go out there, we've only got two practices, so I gotta be nice and comfortable straight into it.
"And we've got a bit of sim work as well, so with Jayden and the engineers to make sure we're ready to hit the ground running."
Track action commences with dual practice sessions and Boost Mobile Qualifying on Friday.
