PREMIAIR Racing competition director Ludo Lacroix says the startline crash which put Tim Slade out on the spot was simply a racing incident.
Starting fourth, Slade got a mega getaway to have his sights set on the lead on the run to Turn 1.
But he didn’t get that far, contact with Cam Waters sending both cars into the pit straight wall on driver’s left.
While Waters recovered to eighth, Slade’s day was done.
“Unfortunately, my race ended pretty early, I didn’t make the first corner. I got a ripper start but then was the meat in the sandwich there and did just enough damage that we couldn’t continue,” the veteran reflected.
Lacroix was disappointed the #23 Nulon Camaro driver was not able to display the pace that could’ve had him fighting for a big result to back up the step forward he took at Albert Park.
“I am very sorry for Timmy because all day in the wet conditions he showed us a lot of performance and then had that accident at the start where he had a fantastic start coming from the second row and was actually passing the first two cars,” said Lacroix.
“It was deemed a racing incident and it actually is a racing incident, it can happen and it is even worse in these sort of conditions where you can’t see everywhere, the windows are all smoked and fogged and wet, so I wouldn’t blame anybody.
ALL ANGLES: Lights out and Cam Waters and Tim Slade collide! There's cars everywhere!#RepcoSC #Supercars pic.twitter.com/bXuYYbNACT
— Supercars (@supercars) April 20, 2024
“But I am very sorry for him that he couldn’t showcase his performance because with what I have seen today he was the fastest of us two so we could have been playing with the top five.”
It wasn’t all bad news for PremiAir though, with the sister entry of James Golding finishing seventh after qualifying just 22nd.
“A nice result for Jimmy. I was very pleased to see him come from 22nd through to seventh. It was really good work from him – very strong, solid, and calm and composed, I am really happy with that,” Lacroix added.
PremiAir has dropped to 10th in the teams’ championship.
