Premiair Racing’s Jimmy Golding and Richie Stanaway brought home a solid result in Race 22 of the Repco Supercars Championship, finishing P13 and P14 respectively after a determined performance at the NTI Townsville 500 on Sunday in Townsville, Queensland.
“It wasn’t a great weekend for us, unfortunately,” commented Stanaway. “We were sitting just outside the top ten in most of the sessions and races, which isn’t where we want to be.
“We had a good start in Race 22 and made up a few spots early. We were running as high as P10 at one point, but we just didn’t quite have the pace to stay there. We’ve got a lot of work to do and plenty to go through back at base, so hopefully we can bounce back stronger at Queensland Raceway.”
It came after a big night of repairs on Golding’s #31 PremiAir Racing Camaro following damage sustained in Race 21, with both cars rolling out for qualifying with a focus on finishing the weekend strong.
Part one of qualifying for Race 22 saw both PremiAir Racing entries put in an impressive showing, with Jimmy Golding and Richie Stanaway advancing through to the next session after early pace had them sitting comfortably inside the top 18. Golding locked in P11 and Stanaway P17 to progress, before the team reset for the next 10-minute dash in part two.
Golding briefly held P8 on his first run, while Stanaway held back for a single late flyer. Ultimately, neither driver was able to crack the top 10, with both starting the race from their part two results. While a Shootout appearance just slipped away, the #31 (P14) and #62 (P17) were in a good position to attack the afternoon’s race.
When the lights went out in Race 22, Stanaway got a fantastic start, moving up three places to P14, while Golding slipped to P17, effectively swapping positions on the road. With 70 laps and 100km ahead, picking the right strategy for both cars and two pit stops was imperative.
A well-timed call allowed Stanaway to stay out during the early pit cycle, maintaining track position when he came in later during the window. Back on track, Stanaway climbed to P10 before settling into P13. The second round of stops also went off without a hitch, giving both cars fresh tyres and fuel for the run home.
In the final laps, Stanaway and Golding were nose to tail in P13 and P14 on the road. Golding – on fresher tyres – made the move on his teammate to secure P13 at the flag, capping off a strong recovery drive from both PremiAir Racing entries.
The next round of the Supercars Championship stays in Queensland, with the Ipswich Super 440 to be held across 8-10 August.
Comments