PREMIAIR Racing has announced it will make at least one driver change before the Repco Supercars Championship moves into the Gen3 era.
The Peter Xiberras-owned team this afternoon confirmed that Chris Pither will depart at the end of this season.
It means neither of PremiAir’s foundation drivers will be around for year two of the program, Garry Jacobson having already been axed after the Darwin Triple Crown.
It’s widely expected Tim Slade will join the squad, having rejected a contract extension with the Blanchard Racing Team.
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Jacobson’s replacement James Golding is the frontrunner to combine with Slade, although PremiAir is yet to speak publicly about its 2023 line-up.
As for Pither, he holds 22nd in the championship with a best result of 12th recorded at Tailem Bend.
“It is no secret that things came together very quickly at the start of the 2022 season for us as a new team and Chris’ input with his knowledge of the car as we created a whole new program while jumping straight into events was much appreciated,” said Xiberras.
“While we may not be working together following the conclusion of the current season, we wish Chris all the best and look forward to racing him in the future.”
Added team principal Matt Cook: “Supercar racing is a team effort and Chris came to PremiAir Racing with valuable knowledge and has been an integral part of our development across the year, and his commitment to striving for results is commendable.
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“We thank him for all of his efforts across the year as we have raced around the country, and we wish him all the best.”
Pither is expected to land a co-drive elsewhere for 2023, when a two-event endurance mini-season may return – should the Sandown 500 get the necessary support.
First, he has another two rounds to come this year in the #22 Coca-Cola Commodore: the Gold Coast 500 (October 28-30) and the Adelaide 500 (December 1-4).
