PREMIAIR RACING READYING FOR BICOASTAL CRUSADE
Posted by: In: News, racing 02 Apr 2022 Comments: 0 Tags: , , , , , ,

PremiAir Racing will be hunting success on both the East and the West Coasts this weekend, with the team’s Supercars outfit heading to the Beaurepaires Melbourne 400 while the Top Fuel dragster competes in the third round of the Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship in Perth. 

Any crew members who stay behind will also be keeping busy, continuing work on the team’s new Gold Coast headquarters in the hope the PremiAir Racing Supercars program can relocate to the Arundel workshop following the Melbourne 400. 

In Perth, PremiAir Racing principal and Top Fuel driver Peter Xiberras will be hoping to score victory and a prestigious Gold ANDRA Christmas Tree Trophy and bank valuable points as he seeks to defend his Australian Top Fuel Championship.

In Melbourne, PremiAir Racing Supercar drivers Garry Jacobson and Chris Pither and their respective crews will be focusing on continuing to build their racing package in what will be only their third event racing together. 

“This weekend is the first of at least three instances this year that PremiAir Racing will be competing in both Supercars and Top Fuel on the same weekend,” Xiberras said. 

“Thankfully, our team is more than up to the challenge. We have a great bunch of people across both our Drag Racing and Supercars programs, and everyone is dedicated to doing the absolute best we can to make the most of the opportunities ahead of us. 

“After just two rounds of Supercars competition as PremiAir Racing, Garry, Chris and their respective crews are really starting to gel already and I expect to see that continuing in Melbourne, further aided by the more relaxed schedule dictated by qualifying and the races being stretched across the four-day format. 

“I expect that as they continue to work together, we will see their rapport growing and our racing packages improving, leading to more consistency and solid results. 

“In Perth, we are third in the Top Fuel championship with four rounds left to run, so we will be doing all we can to bring home the maximum number of points we can and in the process, hopefully secure a Gold ANDRA Christmas Tree event-winning trophy.

“With the impacts of COVID-19 we haven’t been able to race in Perth since March 2020. At that event, we match raced with Phil Lamattina in front of a big crowd and it was such a fun time, so we are definitely very excited that this time we will be heading over to race for championship points.” 

For Beaurepaires Melbourne 400 event information, visit www.supercars.com.au

For information about the Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship, visit www.topfuelaustralia.com.au 

For more information on PremiAir Hire Racing, please visit https://premiairracing.com or follow the team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PremiAirRacing/

 

PREMIAIR HIRE RACING LOOKING TO CONQUER UNCHARTERED WATERS
Posted by: In: Media, News, racing 07 Mar 2022 Comments: 0 Tags: , ,

PremiAir Hire Racing and the rest of the Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship field will venture into unchartered waters this weekend for the first-ever ATFC event at Mildura’s Sunset Strip.

The Burson Auto Parts ATFC will be competing in Mildura as part of the Sunraysia Drag Racing Association’s Ken Scroop Memorial event across March 12 and 13. 

Not only will it be the first visit for the ATFC to Mildura, but it will also be the first time in 30 years that Top Fuel has raced for championship points at a venue outside of an Australian capital city, and the first time since 2014 the category will race over the eighth-mile distance. 

It will also be the very first-time PremiAir Hire Racing driver and team principal, Peter Xiberras, has raced on the eighth mile in a Top Fuel dragster. 

“We are really looking forward to this new challenge at Mildura’s Sunset Strip,” PremiAir Hire Racing Crew Chief, Tim Adams, said. 

“Just because it is half the normal race distance, doesn’t mean the crew will have half the maintenance between rounds – but it does mean the car can be run harder.

“Phil Lamattina holds the Top Fuel track record at the Sunset Strip, with a 3.29-second pass at 263 miles per hour, which he set in 2014.

“We are currently 25 points behind Phil Read in the ATFC standings, so of course challenging for an event victory and as many championship points as possible is a high priority, but in the process, we would really like to reset that record so we will be doing all we can to achieve that

“It sure has been a busy time for PremiAir Hire Racing of late with the team’s debut into Supercars and the first event in Sydney at the weekend. Hopefully, we can keep the good times rolling with some positive results and maybe even a win at Mildura this weekend!” 

The action at the Ken Scroop Memorial will get underway from 3.00pm on Saturday the 12th of March and 2.00pm on Sunday the 13th of March. Two rounds of qualifying will be held for Top Fuel on Saturday at 7.00pm and 9.00pm before Sunday hosts Top Fuel racing at 4.00pm, 6.30pm and 9.00pm ahead of a spectacular fireworks show (all times local and approximate). 

For more information on PremiAir Hire Racing, please visit https://premiairhire.com.au/ or follow the team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PremiAirRacing/

PREMIAIR RACING FULL OF SMILES AFTER ATFC OPENER
Posted by: In: Uncategorized 22 Jan 2022 Comments: 0 Tags: ,

 

PremiAir Hire Racing is full of smiles and praise following the opening round of the new-look Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship at Sydney Dragway at the weekend. 

Peter Xiberras and the PremiAir Hire Racing Top Fuel team walked away from the event with not only the runner-up trophy but also lots of good things to say about the new championship which will continue in just three weeks’ time with its second round to be held as part of The Australian Nationals across February 11-12. 

“What a spectacular new series and what a wonderful event – our congratulations go to Andy Lopez, the track staff and the rest of the team behind the Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship; they have created a fantastic event and we have thoroughly enjoyed ourselves this weekend,” Xiberras said. 

Xiberras set the quickest time in the final round against eventual event winner Phil Read, but Read’s better reaction time on the startline secured him the victory with a 3.892 second pass compared to Xiberras’ 3.828 second ET. 

PremiAir Hire Racing secured the finals berth following victories in both rounds one (over Phil Lamattina) and round two (over Wayne Newby), setting 3.868/316.52mph and 3.901/315.78mph passes in the process. 

Earlier in the day, the team was declared as the Top Qualifiers with the leading time of 3.836 seconds at 290 miles per hour set in what was originally supposed to be a test pass on Friday; but was converted to a Q1 pass after rain thwarted the scheduled Q1 efforts for Xiberras and Lamattina.  

“We headed to this event feeling like we were the underdogs, as we had been unable to complete any testing since our title-winning and record-breaking performance at the Winternationals back in June of 2021, whereas all the other teams had had the chance to get on track before this event,” Xiberras explained.

“To come to this event after so much time off the track and Top Qualify and then take out the runner-up trophy has been absolutely fantastic – even if it stings a bit to have lost the victory on the startline,” he sheepishly grinned.

“As always, my thanks go to my team – they have all worked so hard and put in so much effort over the off-season and in the lead up to this weekend to ensure we could be competitive here this weekend. 

“With round two less than three weeks away and again here at Sydney Dragway, we are looking forward to hopefully building some momentum and putting on the best show we can at what we are sure is going to be another phenomenal event.

“The Australian Nationals has always been a great event, and with the new-look Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship on a real roll, we think it is going to be a must-see for the fans.” 

Round two of the Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship will be held at Sydney Dragway cross February 11 and 12. For event information, go to www.sydneydragway.com.au 

For more information on PremiAir Hire Racing, please visit https://premiairhire.com.au/ or follow the team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PremiAirRacing/

CURRENT TOP FUEL NUMBER ONE READY FOR NEW SEASON
Posted by: In: Uncategorized 19 Jan 2022 Comments: 0 Tags: , , ,

PremiAir Hire Racing heads to Sydney Dragway this weekend for the season-opener of the new Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship as not only the country’s current Top Fuel champion but also its quickest ever. 

At the Winternationals in June 2021, Peter Xiberras and the PremiAir Hire Racing team blazed through to the Top Fuel title win with an impressive performance which included the quickest ever Top Fuel pass set in Australia over the 1000-foot distance. 

Now, the Brisbane-based outfit is preparing to tackle the opening round of what is an exciting new look championship and as the current Number One, they are sure to be a key target for an exceptionally talented field of Top Fuel racers. 

While PremiAir Hire Racing may be considered by many as the ones to beat, unlike their competition they do head to Sydney with no test passes completed since their Winternationals result. 

“We might be the current champions, but I feel like we are heading into the opening round as underdogs as everyone else has been out there testing while we haven’t been able to do any due to the weather and COVID-19 restrictions hampering our plans,” Xiberras explained. 

“We will be looking to make the most of the two scheduled test passes on Friday before the all-run format gets underway on Saturday.

“While we would have liked to be more prepared ahead of this weekend, that doesn’t take away at all from our excitement to be getting back on-track, especially given that we will be doing so as part of the fantastic new-look Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship. 

“The upcoming season is shaping up to be absolutely fantastic and we can’t wait to get underway this Saturday and Sunday at Sydney Dragway.” 

Round one of the Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship will be held at Sydney Dragway cross January 21 and 22. For event information, go to www.sydneydragway.com.au 

For more information on PremiAir Hire Racing, please visit https://premiairhire.com.au/ or follow the team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PremiAirRacing/

CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN LOOMS FOR PREMIAIR RACING
Posted by: In: racing 07 Jun 2021 Comments: 0 Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

PremiAir Racing is readying to contest an epic Top Fuel championship showdown as part of the largest championship drag racing event held outside of North America this weekend (June 11-13).

The Gulf Western Oil Winternationals event, held at the team’s home-track of Willowbank Raceway, will host the final round of the 2019/2020/2021 400 Thunder Top Fuel Championship season.

PremiAir Racing is ideally placed to battle for the title, with team principal and driver Peter Xiberras currently second on the points ladder on 299 points – 25 points behind title leader Wayne Newby and 10 points ahead of Phil Lamattina.

While PremiAir Racing has tasted success at Willowbank before, with both Gold and Silver Christmas Tree trophies from previous events, it is yet to claim a Winternationals Gold.

“There is a lot to play for this weekend at Willowbank Raceway – the Winters win and the championship win are both on the line and it is anyone’s game,” Xiberras said.

“We have a Gold and Silver tree from Willowbank and also a Gold and Silver tree from Sydney, as well as current track records for Sydney and Perth, but the prestige of taking home a winning Winters trophy is something we are keenly focused on heading into this weekend.

“There’s no event like it and to top it off, the event is sponsored by our valued supporters Gulf Western Oil, so we will be pulling out all the stops to make sure we can secure the event and the title win this weekend.”

To prepare for the event, the team completed two test passes at the Winters Warm-Up on June 5.

“We put in some strong work at the official pre-Winters test weekend, playing around with some clutch settings to improve our short track times,” PremiAir Racing Team Manager, Tim Adams, explained.

“After recording a 60-foot time of .856 and 2.156 to the 330 in the second pass, we were pleased we had everything heading in the right direction and turned our attention to servicing the PremiAir Hire Top Fuel dragster ready for the main event.

“We will enjoy two qualifying passes at the event on the Friday ahead of a third on Saturday, before three epic ‘all in’ rounds of racing unfold across the Saturday and Sunday ahead of the ‘winner takes all’ final on Sunday afternoon.  

“We can’t wait to get after it at this fantastic event and look forward to seeing all the fans in the pits in between the runs – make sure you stop by and say hi!”

The Gulf Western Oil Winternationals will be held at Willowbank Raceway across June 11-13. Top Fuel qualifying passes are scheduled for 1.26pm and 3.23pm on Friday and 1.12pm on Saturday, ahead of racing at 3.33pm Saturday and 11.00am, 2.16pm and 4.30pm (final) on Sunday. For full event information, visit www.willowbankraceway.com.au

For more information on PremiAir Hire Racing, please visit https://premiairhire.com.au/ or follow the team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PremiAirRacing/

SUCCESSFUL SYDNEY SOJOURN FOR PREMIAIR HIRE RACING
Posted by: In: News, racing 10 May 2021 Comments: 0 Tags: , , , , , , ,

The Gulf Western Oils Nitro Thunder event may have been shortened to a one-day hit-out due to poor weather on Friday, but that didn’t stop PremiAir Hire Racing from pulling out all the stops for a great show of Top Fuel drag racing on Saturday.

By the time all four rounds of racing were run and won on Saturday, May 8, the Brisbane-based Top Fuel outfit walked away with three round wins, two personal best Elapsed Times (ET), a new track ET record, and the runner-up honours.

Those performances came in front of a packed crowd, which obviously enjoyed having Top Fuel back on-track after a long hiatus due to the impacts of COVID-19.

“I can’t tell you how great it was to be back on the track in a competitive environment after so long,” PremiAir Hire Racing Team Principal and Driver, Peter Xiberras, said.

“The track cooled off a lot between the third round when we set the record and the final. While you can run faster on a cooler track, you have to get the tune-up absolutely spot on and we just missed that.”

“While we might not have been able to secure the big trophy, I am exceptionally happy with three rounds wins, two PBs, a new track record and the runner-up award. The team did a fantastic job all day long and I am very proud of their efforts.”

Peter and the team weren’t just enjoying themselves on the track either.

“The atmosphere at the Gulf Western Oils Nitro Thunder event was just brilliant,” Xiberras explained.

“There was a fantastic crowd and we loved having everyone visit us in the pits again after so long between competitive events.

Our sponsor, Gulf Western Oils, was also the event sponsor and they set up a corporate hospitality area right next to our pit area, entertaining more than 1200 guests.”

“The atmosphere was just brilliant, and it will take a while for us to stop smiling after this one! We love racing, and putting on a show for the fans!”

The PremiAir Hire Racing Team will now return back to Brisbane to prepare the car for testing at the Winters Warm-Up (5-6 June) ahead of the season-ending Gulf Western Oil Winternationals (June 10-13) at its home track of Willowbank Raceway.

For more information on PremiAir Hire Racing, please visit https://premiairhire.com.au/ or follow the team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PremiAirRacing/

PREMIAIR HIRE RACING IMPRESSES IN PERTH
Posted by: In: Uncategorized 04 Mar 2020 Comments: 0 Tags: , , , , , , , ,

PremiAir Hire Racing put on a great Top Fuel show as part of the Perth Motorplex’s 49th annual Westernationals at the weekend, completing six match races with Lamattina Top Fuel Racing to the delight of fans, resetting the track ET record and temporarily setting the national ANDRA 1000ft Top Fuel speed record.

With the final run completed on Sunday night, the score-board showed three wins apiece for the pairing who travelled from the East Coast to take part in the two-day event.

“I had been to the Perth Motorplex as a spectator around six or seven year ago and it has always been on my bucket list to come back and race there,” Xiberras explained.

“I was certainly not disappointed. We received such a warm welcome from the track and its team as well as all of the spectators, of which there were many! The facility is fantastic and the racing was also really great – I couldn’t be happier with how things went.

“I want to thank everyone behind the event for welcoming us and for putting on a fantastic event even with some major challenges after the track was struck by lightening just 36 hours before the event started. I also want to especially thank Phil Lamattina who started the negotiations with the track for us to come over.

“When it came to the actual passes, we really enjoyed ourselves out there and we were pleased to claim the track ET record (3.854s) and also to set the new ANDRA 1000 foot speed record – even if it was only for a few hours before Phil took it off us in the last pass of the evening”.

“The car might be new but it is running so consistently, it is like a bracket car – over the six passes we ran 3.889s, 3.889s, 3.874s, 3.869s and 3.854s before our last run shook the tyres.

“We are very excited to see what we can do next with the PremiAir Hire Top Fuel dragster!”

PremiAir Hire Racing will next be on-track for the Santo’s Super Thunder event at Willowbank Raceway on Good Friday, the 10th of April. For event information, visit www.willowbankraceway.com.au

For more information on PremiAir Hire Racing, please visit https://premiairhire.com.au/ or follow the team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PremiAirRacing/

EPIC ROAD TRIP BEGINS FOR WESTERNATS TOP FUEL RETURN
Posted by: In: Uncategorized 18 Feb 2020 Comments: 0 Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

PremiAir Hire Racing will travel 8,000 kilometres (round trip) for 24 seconds of racing over the next two weeks, and they couldn’t be happier about it.

The Brisbane-based Top Fuel team will be part of the comeback of Top Fuel Racing to the Perth Motorplex later this month, taking part in the 49th annual Westernationals event which will be held across February 29 and March 1.

PremiAir Hire Racing will travel in a convoy with the fellow East Coast based Lamattina Top Fuel Racing team, commencing their journey this Saturday the 22nd of February.

“It might be a long trip, but it is going to be so worth it to be a part of Top Fuel racing getting back into action at the epic Perth Motorplex; it is very exciting,” PremiAir Hire Racing principal and driver, Peter Xiberras, said.

“We all can’t wait. It should be a fantastic event across two days with not only Top Fuel but also Top Doorslammer, Top Fuel Motorcycle and the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series as well.”

PremiAir Hire Racing truck driver Adam Attard will lead the way to Perth, with Mark ‘Baldy’ Savage to drive the LTFR  transporter while none other than Top Fuel racer Phil Lamattina will drive another LTFR truck loaded up with the race cars of other competitors.

The Lamattina dragster is based in Aaron Hambridge’s Sydney workshop while the PremiAir Hire dragster and transporter is also currently in the harbour city following the Santo’s Summer Thunder event in late January.

The first leg of the trip will see Attard and Savage travel from Sydney to the Lamattina family farm in Mildura (Victoria) where they will stay the night before being treated to breakfast personally cooked by Phil Lamattina who will then join the party at the wheel of the third truck.

The convoy will then travel on to Ceduna, before stopping 100km before Eucla for an all-important selfie looking over the Great Australian Bite.

From there it will be on to the Nullarbor Roadhouse for a final stop before they reach the Perth Motorplex ready for two big days of racing before they turn around and travel all the way back home with a hopeful stop at Cal Gully on the way.

“We are expecting to see lots of kangaroos on the way over and are looking to do most of our driving during the day so we can take in some of the sights as part of our travels,” Attard explained.

“We already have plenty of Kris Kristofferson, the Travelling Wilburys, Mark Knophler and the Grateful Dead queued up too, so we will have lots of great tunes rocking in the PremiAir Hire transporter for the trip!

“It is a great road trip and it is made even greater by knowing what we will be doing when we get to our destination – it doesn’t get much better than Top Fuel at the Peth Motorplex!”

The 49th annual Westernationals will be held at the Peth Motorplex across February 29 and March 1 and will feature Top Fuel, Top Doorslammer, Top Fuel Motorcycle and the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series. For event information, please go to www.motorplex.com.au/49th-annual-westernationals

For more information on PremiAir Hire Racing, please visit https://premiairhire.com.au/ or follow the team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PremiAirRacing/

RACE WIN PUNCTUATES SANTO’S SUMMER THUNDER FOR PREMIAIR HIRE RACING
Posted by: In: Media, News, racing 27 Jan 2020 Comments: 0 Tags: , , , , , , ,

The PremiAir Hire Racing team rounded out their Santo’s Summer Thunder experience at Sydney Dragway on Saturday evening (January 25) with a race victory over Damien Harris.

A better reaction time (0.64s versus 0.89s) saw Xiberras better Harris by one hundredth of a second at the finish line with a 3.872 second pass at 304.46 miles per hour over the Rapisarda Autosport International driver’s 3.857s/301.60mph effort.

The victory came after a strong yet challenging weekend for the PremiAir Hire Racing team, which conducted two shakedown passes on Friday evening ahead of the three-round, all-run format on Saturday.

The second pass of Friday evening saw the team come oh-so-close to their Personal Best ET of 3.853 seconds with a 3.854s effort at 308.43 miles per hour before Saturday’s hot and humid conditions saw the majority of the field sit out the final shakedown session before getting down to racing.

In the opening two rounds, Xiberras took on Phil Lamattina, with the first pass seeing the PremiAir Hire driver off the gas early before the second round resulted in the race being decided by just 19 thousandths of a second in Lamattina’s favour following an impressive full-track, side-by-side pass (3.884s/314.46mph to 3.915s/312.64s).

The final race was yet another impressive side-by-side pass at full flame, leaving the fans and the PremiAir Hire team grinning from ear to ear.

“It was great to end the weekend with a race win, even if we didn’t make it into the final,” Xiberras said.

“With the new combination in the PremiAir Hire dragster and these hot and humid conditions, we have been struggling to get the set-up right as we are essentially learning how to make the new combo work in this kind of weather with so much water in the air.

“While our second and third passes today were definitely strong, there is a lot more in it. The team will never give up and I think we made some really great progress across the weekend.

“Now we turn our attentions to Perth! We are all very excited to be heading over to the Perth Motorplex to race with ANDRA for the 49th annual Westernationals against some great Top Fuel racers, including this weekend’s runner-up Phil Lamattina!”

The 49th annual Westernationals will be held at the Peth Motorplex across February 29 and March 1 and will feature Top Fuel, Top Doorslammer, Top Fuel Motorcycle and the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series. For event information, please go to www.motorplex.com.au/49th-annual-westernationals

For more information on PremiAir Hire Racing, please visit https://premiairhire.com.au/ or follow the team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PremiAirRacing/

PREMIAIR HIRE RACING HUNTING MORE SYDNEY SUCCESS
Posted by: In: Uncategorized 13 Jan 2020 Comments: 0 Tags: , , , ,

This weekend’s Santo’s Summer Thunder event at Sydney Dragway will mark the second outing for PremiAir Hire Racing’s new Top Fuel dragster following its perfect debut at the same venue late last year.

At November’s East Coast Thunder – the opening round of the 2019/2020 400 Thunder Top Fuel Championship – the team not only reset its own ET and MPH personal bests but also won the event.

After missing round two of the title chase due to work commitments, the team is now back and ready to see if they can kick off 2020 with another victory.

“It was unfortunate that we weren’t able to go to round two, the holiday season is the busiest time of the year for PremiAir Hire and our customers have to come first,” PremiAir Hire Racing team principal and driver, Peter Xiberras, explained.

“We are very excited to now be gearing up for round three which is being held at the same venue as our successful November event with the new dragster.”

Xiberras will be joined on-track by a host of Top Fuel racers, it has also been announced that NHRA star Dom Lagana will be returning to Australia to drive for the Rapisarda Autosport International team alongside fellow American Ashley Sanford and local stars Wayne Newby and Damien Harris.

“Everything is shaping up for a great event at Sydney Dragway with what should be a great Top Fuel field as well as plenty of other racers across a host of great categories. We hope to see lots of fans out at the track and look forward to seeing them in the pits,” Xiberras said.

The Santo’s Summer Thunder event will be held at Sydney Dragway on Friday January 17 and Saturday January 18. For full event information, go to www.sydneydragway.com.au/santos-summer-thunder/

For more information on PremiAir Hire Racing, please visit https://premiairhire.com.au/ or follow the team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PremiAirRacing/ or Instagram @premiair_racing