Premiair Racing’s Jimmy Golding and David Russell crossed the Mount Panarama finish line first before celebrating on the third step of the 2025 Bathurst 1000 podium on Sunday after a race that can only be described as truly unbelievable.
Golding and the #31 PremiAir Racing Camaro lead the field across Mount Panorama’s finish line by .96 of a second ahead of the Matthew Payne/Garth Tander entry after taking the lead for a final time as the last lap commenced, however was classified in third place thanks to a five second time penalty incurred when “having a crack” at the lead with five laps to go.
While not the win they were ultimately hoping for after having led for a total of 26 laps, Golding, Russell and the PremiAir Racing team were still all smiles and rightfully so – to stand on the podium at the biggest event of the year, held in what can only be described as brutally treacherous conditions, is something well worth celebrating.
“We started 13th, and went forward, all the way to the top, and finished the race at the top, but unfortunately they took it away from us!” Golding chuckled. “Obviously I had to have a crack, my car was fast and the whole team did an awesome job all weekend.
“We planned around a wet race towards the end and dialled the car in all week for that without affecting it in the dry as well. It is a credit to Hodgey and all the mechanics for all the hard work, I really appreciate it – yeah it is disappointing, but also awesome to get a podium.”
For a moment, it looked like the Richie Stanaway/Nash Morris #62 PremiAir Racing Camaro might have also been in the frame for a podium – making an epic comeback from earlier disaster to be P5 with 18 laps to go with rain master Stanaway at the wheel, before once again they found themselves in trouble and this time, heartbreakingly unable to resume (more on this below).
“It was an unfortunate end; I was just pushing a bit too hard and touched a white line on the entry to The Cutting,” commented Stanaway. “It was a disappointing end to the day really.
“We had started far back and worked our way through to be 15th before we struck drama, and then again moved our way through and the Lucky Dog put us back on the lead lap and we were able to be right up there in those wet conditions and a chance for a double podium.
“We really could have gotten a good result, but it just wasn’t to be today, and I feel bad for the crew. Everyone was of course absolutely devastated with how far we had come for it all to go away again, but at least we got a podium with the other car.”
How it unfolded
The race commenced at 11.45am AEDT, with D-Russ starting from P13 in the #31 while Nash Morris started P23 in the #62 PremiAir Racing Camaro he shared with main driver, Richie Stanaway.
A clean and considered opening stint for the co-drivers saw them display impressive race craft to keep the cars straight amidst plenty of tussling for position while managing the tyres, moving forward a few positions as they did so.
On lap 23 the first pit stops for the PremiAir Racing Camaros unfolded – with the #31 coming in first for tyres and fuel, with Golding taking over from Russell. The #62 was in on the next lap, also taking on tyres and fuel as Morris handed over to Stanaway.
As rain threatened overhead, the main drivers got to work, with Golding P11 by the time 40 laps were completed, and Richie P18.
The second round of stops came on lap 47 for Stanaway from P14 and lap 48 for Golding from P7 – with the team taking the opportunity to undertake some ride height tweaks in both cars while again swapping drivers, putting on four fresh tyres, and full tanks of fuel.
Soon after, the first of what would be seven safety cars was called on lap 55, prompting a flurry of activity in the lane as plenty took the opportunity for a stop under full yellow conditions – including both PremiAir Racing Camaros.
Russell and Morris were at the wheel at P10 and P16 for a short lived restart, with Chaz Mostert’s entry almost immediately expiring and requiring recovery.
The next restart came with 100 laps to go, with Russell and Morris again kicking off from 10th and 16th respectively on lap 62.
By lap 64, the rain was falling and cars were starting to slip around. Russell was 10th and Morris 15th after passing Cameron McLeod, who then turned around the #62 on top of the mountain on lap 65 – earning himself a 15 second penalty.
Morris was able to resume under his own power, and as the field came around to start lap 66 – with the top ten covered by just 2.8 seconds – a strategic move was called by the team, bringing Rusell in from P10 for wet tyres while all nine cars in front of him stayed out.
When conditions ultimately worsened over the coming laps, more of the field dived into the lane and Russell was in the box seat, having already climbed back to P13 at that point.
Morris was P23, and then on lap 67, found himself beached in the gravel at The Chase after a mistake with the gear selector sent him into the sand trap – this brought out the third safety car of the race, and many more who hadn’t pitted headed to the lane, while Russell stayed out to be P2 on the road behind Whincup.
When Whincup dove into the lane on the restart on lap 69 for wets, Russell took control of the race and put the hammer down despite being a pioneer in increasingly wet conditions, building a gap of nine seconds over his nearest rivals over the coming laps.
His performance was so impressive that the commentary team lauded him as being ‘head and shoulders over the others in terms of pace’ around lap 74.
Unfortunately, the unrelenting speed would soon see tyre management need to come into play, and Ojeda was able to pounce to take the lead on lap 82, while Russell settled back into P3 behind Payne – where he stayed until handing over on lap 88 to Golding who resumed in P11 with four fresh tyres and a full tank of fuel.
On lap 91, Morris – who had done a great job putting his head down and getting on with things since his trouble in the gravel, handed over to Stanaway, who is well known for his prowess in wet conditions, with the #62 resuming in P23.
At this time it was still raining, and there was more wet weather to come – in fact, the conditions would get increasingly worse over the remainder of the race.
By lap 97, Golding was P5 and soon challenging Feeney for fourth position – eventually getting by on the way up the Mountain on lap 100, showing really good pace in the wet and turning his attention to hunting down Jobe Stewart.
On lap 108, he would pass Stewart to move into P3, two seconds away from second placed Aaron Cameron, with Ryan Wood in the lead.
On 110, Golding executed a nice pass through Forrest’s Elbow to take P2 from Cameron and set after Wood, from who he was 11 seconds away.
He quickly started closing in, making ground lap after lap. Importantly at this stage, there was seven seconds difference in the fuel loads between Wood and Golding, to Wood’s advantage.
By lap 115, Golding was eight seconds away from Wood in P2, with the team pitting him at this time for four tyres and fuel, while Wood stayed out, pitting with 39 laps to go when Golding was back to P4.
When Wood was joined by Feeney and Kai Allen in the pits, Golding was the first car on the road, however Wood was able to resume in the lead ahead of Feeney, with Golding in third ahead of Payne.
He wouldn’t stay there for long though, moving past Feeney to P2 with 38 laps to go, before going on to take time out of Wood’s margin until Feeney put it hard into the wall at Forrest’s Elbow for another safety car with Wood leading Golding over Payne.
Luckily for PremiAirR Acing, this safety car gave the #62 the ‘Lucky Dog’, being waved by to get back on the lead lap, which was crucial for them to start staging their comeback.
With 35 to go, the lights again went green and Golding had multiple looks before getting the move on Wood done going up the Mountain with 33 laps to go, holding onto it despite Wood’s attempts to get it back.
From there, Golding bolted – building a lead as the rain got heavier, eventually being eight and then 10 seconds ahead of Wood, something which was crucially important at this stage given the seven second deficit in fuel loads.
But then it was time for another safety car, this time for debris on the track after a heavy crash for Will Brown, seeing that 10 second margin go out the window. Softening the blow was the fact that at the same time, so did the fuel deficit, as the leaders all headed to the pits under full course yellow conditions.
At this stage Golding took on four new wet tyres while Wood took only right side new wets only – he had intended to not take on tyres at all, but was forced to after whacking the wall on the way around to the lane, damaging the right wheels and causing vibration.
Golding rejoined ahead of Wood and behind Jack Le Brocq who was yet to pit. Stanaway meanwhile had moved his way up to P13 as rivers of water ran across the track.
By the time the restart came the conditions were even worse, and Golding was the pioneer with 26 to go, leading Wood, Payne and David Reynolds to the start.
With no grip, Golding has a moment and Wood was able to take the lead, while Golding put in a valiant effort to hold onto second over Payne, .6 away from Wood.
Just two laps later, the sixth safety car was called, this time for Macauley Jones who had gone hard into the wall and left debris on the track.
Just before it was called however, Wood slid off the track at The Chase and Golding pounced, once again taking the lead of the race just as the field was neutralised. Soon after, Wood was forced to the lane with crank sensor issues which saw him out of the race.
The race restarted with 21 laps to go and Golding held onto the lead, under pressure now from Cooper Murray through turn one, before Murray got by up the Mountain, leaving Golding in P2 ahead of Payne but right on the back of Murray with 20 to go.
As Golding continued to try and find a way past Murray, with 18 laps to go Stanaway had found himself in fifth position in the #62, charging in the wet conditions.
For a moment, a double podium seemed possible, however that glimmer of hope was soon washed away with the #62 into the wall at The Cutting, dashing what would have been an incredible come from behind story after the #62 had started P23, been spun, beached, and then come back all the way to the top five, leaving the team understandably devastated.
There wasn’t much time to commiserate however, with Golding in P2 behind Murray under this seventh and final safety car and feeling all the pressure.
When the race resumed with 15 to go, Murray again bolted, while Payne went inside on turn one to move Golding to P3 as he struggled with slippery conditions. He was also temporarily also passed by Andre Heimgartner but was able to get that position back.
With 10 laps to go, Golding had a four second gap over Heimgartner and was .8 away from the second placed Payne – a gap he whittled down until making a pass as Murray and Payne did battle side by side around the bottom of The Mountain with Golding well underneath their bumpers.
Golding was able to get it done as they approached six laps to go when Payne nearly threw it all away on the grass, moving into P2 and setting off after Murray while .8 covered all three drivers.
At this point, Golding had been in the car for more than three hours, but his determination was unshakeable.
With five laps left to go, he made a move on Murray heading up The Mountain, a move that unfortunately did not pan out as intended with Murray spun back to P4 and Golding handed a five second time penalty while in P2, as Payne had taken advantage of the slip up to move into the lead.
He wouldn’t give up however, pushing on to challenge Payne – who was in the lead for the first time in the race – hunting him lap after lap before ultimately moving into the lead as the trio roared down the straight for the start of the final lap.
Golding gave it everything to build what gap he could over the final 6.213km, but ultimately his .96 gap at the line was not enough to see him lift the Peter Brock Trophy – but it did ensure he would still celebrate the team’s second ever podium finish, and at the infamous Bathurst 1000 no less.
In a race that had endless twists and turns and horrendous weather, Golding and his fellow racers at the front were commended for their driving skill as they put on a show that will be talked about for a long time to come.
The next round of the 2025 Supercars Championship will be held on the streets of Surfers Paradise, with the Gold Coast 500 – PremiAir Racing’s ‘home event’ – lighting up from October 24 to 26.
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