TIM Slade has gone back to the future with his choice of race number for the 2023 Repco Supercars Championship.
PremiAir Racing is somewhat unique in that it allows drivers to pick their own number, as opposed to having its own set range of digits.
That left Slade as the only Gen3 driver without a number locked in – until now, with V8 Sleuth able to reveal he has selected #23.
The #23 has a special meaning for Slade, dating back to his family-run Slade Speed Super2 program in 2008.
It was from there that he catapulted himself into the main game for the following season with Paul Morris Motorsport and set up a career which will tick over to 400 championship races at the opening leg of the Thrifty Newcastle 500 next month.
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“My first racing number in karts was the #24, which I used for the first half of my karting career,” Slade explained.
“When I moved into the top junior class that number was already taken, so I dropped the ‘4’ and from then on, I used #2.
“The next time in my career I had the opportunity to pick my own number was in 2008 with Slade Speed, but again, the #24 was already taken and so was #2, so I chose the #23 as it is obviously close to #24!
“I also generally just liked the number, having been a bit of an NBA fan as a kid with Michael Jordan and also the cricket with Shane Warne, who both carried the #23 in their careers.”
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Of the last time he used the number, Slade added: “Racing in 2008 using the #23 with Slade Speed was a special year, due to the way we went about it, and that made my first race and round win in Supercars (Super2) that year feel even better.
“It was a massive effort from my whole family along with my long-time supporter, James Rosenberg, and I guess you could say that campaign really helped to create the opportunity for my start in the main Supercars category.
“With the history behind it, I really want to say thank you to Peter (Xiberras, PremiAir Racing owner) for allowing me to choose my own number upon joining his team – it is really nice to have a bit more of a personal feel to it all.”
The #23 has twice been a race winner in Supercars Championship history: at Symmons Plains in 2004 with David Besnard, and via Michael Caruso at the 2016 Darwin Triple Crown.
It last appeared in the main game in early 2020 on Will Davison’s 23Red Mustang before that program closed its doors during COVID-19.
Other notable drivers to have run #23 include Supercars champions Jamie Whincup (Tasman Motorsport, 2005) and Russell Ingall (Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport, 2014).
Slade’s Supercars teammate James Golding will line up for PremiAir Racing at this weekend’s Bathurst 12 Hour alongside co-drivers Frederic Vervisch and Brad Schumacher.
PremiAir is set to shakedown its Gen3 Chevrolet Camaro Supercars on February 9 at Queensland Raceway.
Every race number on the full-time 2023 Repco Supercars Championship grid
#2 – Nick Percat, Walkinshaw Andretti United
#3 – Todd Hazelwood, Blanchard Racing Team
#4 – Jack Smith, Brad Jones Racing
#5 – James Courtney, Tickford Racing
#6 – Cameron Waters, Tickford Racing
#8 – Andre Heimgartner, Brad Jones Racing
#9 – Will Brown, Erebus Motorsport
#11 – Anton De Pasquale, Dick Johnson Racing
#14 – Bryce Fullwood, Brad Jones Racing
#17 – Will Davison, Dick Johnson Racing
#18 – Mark Winterbottom, Team 18
#19 – Matt Payne, Grove Racing
#20 – Scott Pye, Team 18
#23 – Tim Slade, PremiAir Racing
#25 – Chaz Mostert, Walkinshaw Andretti United
#26 – David Reynolds, Grove Racing
#31 – James Golding, PremiAir Racing
#34 – Jack Le Brocq, Matt Stone Racing
#35 – Cameron Hill, Matt Stone Racing
#55 – Thomas Randle, Tickford Racing
#56 – Declan Fraser, Tickford Racing
#88 – Broc Feeney, Triple Eight Race Engineering
#96 – Macauley Jones, Brad Jones Racing
#97 – Shane van Gisbergen, Triple Eight Race Engineering
#99 – Brodie Kostecki, Erebus Motorsport
