PremiAir Racing moved up in teams' championship after Sandown
Cooper Murray surged to stunning maiden podium in Sandown finale
Murray replaced Declan Fraser at PremiAir, signed until 2028
"I've been in this shit garage all year," laughed Peter Xiberras after the Sandown finale.
No longer.
PremiAir Racing appears to be going places, with a maiden podium for recruit Cooper Murray propelling the Xiberras-owned team up the order for the bp Adelaide Grand Final.
Murray's stunning Sandown podium made it two Camaros in PIRTEK Victory Lane, and critically, offered hope to Xiberras that his team — now skippered by Roland Dane — is making genuine gains.
The bold decision to move Declan Fraser on and sign Murray immediately from Erebus Motorsport has paid immediate dividends, PremiAir jumping Blanchard Racing Team in the points.
For Xiberras, though, making the tough calls has been a staple of how he runs his team, and critically, the latest decision could prove the best yet.
"Look, we all know why I did it," Xiberras told Supercars' Equip Super Cool Down Lap podcast of the Murray deal.
"Bring him in early, let him settle in, and get his bearings and get comfortable.
"Did I think he was gonna go this good this quick? No. This is absolutely the cherry on top, and we're just stoked.
"Like, for me, we make choices in this world, and sometimes they work and sometimes they don't work, but this one's definitely been a ripper, a ripper signing for the team.
"It's hard to explain how the team's just lifted, you know? Just the whole team, the belief now in this team. This is two weekends in a row where we've done better than we've probably done all year."
The clearest sign of the Gold Coast team's progress is its move above BRT, which finally moves Xiberras and his crew out of the dreaded 10th place garage, ahead of Erebus.
While equalling its best teams' finish of eighth from 2024 — with Matt Stone Racing 235 points ahead — seems out of reach, Xiberras was delighted at least to see movement.
"We're in the number 10 garage. I've been in this shit garage all year," Xiberras said.
"Honestly, I'm not lying, it's bothered the crap out of me that we haven't moved. And here we are, second weekend, two drivers, earning points, to finish two in the 10. We've jumped one garage now.
"I'm stoked. I'm absolutely stoked."
