PremiAir lifts hood on “weird” engine issue

Aug 12, 2023

By Thomas Miles

Date posted: June 5, 2023

PremiAir Racing has unearthed the reason behind its "weird" engine issue which ended Tim Slade's promising final race in Tasmania.

Having already recorded P6 and P7 finishes, Slade was on track to score a hat-trick of top 10s in Symmons Plains.

Car #23 was a solidified member of the top five across the first 20 laps of the third and final race of the Tasmania SuperSprint.

Slade rejoined from the pits in sixth place but things suddenly hit a wall when his Camaro was seen slowing down on the back straight with just 10 laps to run.

Despite the clear issue, the veteran stayed out and crawled around for the remainder of the race to be a classified finisher, albeit in last place four laps down.

Team principal Matty Cook said the Gold Coast based team had to diagnose the use when it returned to the factory and now it has discovered the root cause.

James Golding leads Tim Slade through the final corner at Symmons Plains.

In a recent social media post, PremiAir Racing explained a faulty hose clamp had kicked off the "storm".

"This unexpected hiccup set off a chain reaction that caused the engine to lose its lifeblood – the coolant.

"The high-speed drama did not end there. As the temperature soared, our Supercars engine was left to its fate and effectively cooked itself.

"What's more, our pilot, Tim, was unaware of this unfolding catastrophe.

"A glitch in the dash system masked the warning signs, leaving Tim navigating through this storm blind."

The team hopes to make further ground both on the track and off it at the upcoming Darwin Triple Crown on June 16-18.

"Supercar driving is not just about the thrill, but also understanding and respecting the technology that drives these beasts."

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Andrew Clarke and Auto Action's Bruce Williams and Paul Gover sat down for a candid chat on the teams, drivers and the #Supercars series championship.