The 19-year-old has long been in the frame for a drive in one of the Nulon Camaros in this year’s enduros, with Speedcafe linking him to the Arundel squad last December.
As predicted, he went on to step up to the Dunlop Super2 Series in a PremiAir-prepared ZB Commodore and is currently fifth in the standings after the first two rounds of the season.
The signing completes the Peter Xiberras-owned squad’s line-up for the Sandown 500 and Repco Bathurst 1000, with it having already secured the services of David Russell to co-drive with James Golding in the #31 Camaro.
McLeod was thought to have been given the task of sitting in the top three in the Super2 standings by the Sandown 500 (ie at the conclusion of Round 3 of the season at the NTI Townsville 500) in order to secure the #23 co-driver gig but has evidently already done enough to impress Xiberras.
That much became apparent when he attended the Betr Darwin Triple Crown in recent days and was seen in team uniform in the PremiAir garage, after testing one of its cars at Queensland Raceway last month.
“I am very keen for this opportunity,” McLeod said upon confirmation he will make his Bathurst 1000 debut this October.
“This is the year that we were hoping we would be able to secure a co-drive and we have put a lot of effort into getting to this point and to where we are now.
“I am very grateful to Peter Xiberras and all of the PremiAir Nulon Racing boys and girls that have put their support and faith behind me with this co-drive position.
“It is good to be partnering with Tim as well – back in 2021 he came out to a Formula Ford round and helped me out and we have also done a 12 Hour together, so I think it is a good match and I can’t wait to get started.”
Slade said, “I have a bit of a connection with the McLeods going back to my first year in the main Supercars championship, as Camy’s dad Ryan was on the radio in my first Bathurst 1000 with Paul Morris and Supercheap Auto Racing.
“Then in 2021 in the COVID break we had that year, I wasn’t really doing too much, and Ryan asked if I could come and work with Camy in Formula Ford at Morgan Park, so I first got to know him and his driving then.
“Since then, I have spoken to Ryan a bit about Camy and his career, and I have had a bit to do with them in Super2 this year as well. I am excited to have him as my co-driver.
“He cut some laps at the latest test day, too, and he was comfortable, so I think it should be a pretty good partnership”
Team Manager Stephen Robertson said that McLeod made a positive impression in his test outing in Ipswich last month.
“PremiAir Nulon Racing has a strong relationship already with the McLeod family through our support of Cameron’s Super2 campaign and we are very pleased to be expanding that relationship now by having Cam join us as co-driver for Tim Slade in the 2024 endurance races,” stated Robertson.
“Obviously, he is an up-and-coming star and we have been impressed with his Super2 performances this year and how he performed during our recent Queensland Raceway test day.
“With he and Tim having a previously standing working relationship also, we are very confident this will be a strong partnership and we can’t wait to see what they can achieve together at Sandown and Bathurst later this year.”
McLeod is the son of Ryan – the ‘RM’ in the Super2 entry known as ‘RM Racing Cars/PremiAir Racing’ – and grandson of Peter, who won the 1987 Bathurst 1000 with Peter Brock and David Parsons in a Holden Dealer Team VL Commodore.
The third-generation driver was last year voted the Mike Kable Young Gun following his exploits in Super3, when he missed out on the title after double misfortune at Sandown but won eight of the 12 races and qualified on pole position nine times.
More recently, he experienced a particularly wild rollover in the Perth round of the Super2 Series after tangling with Cooper Murray, but PremiAir is set to rebuild the ZB Commodore which went cartwheeling down the Wanneroo hill.
PremiAir still has one more test day up its sleeve for McLeod to enjoy seat time in the #23 Chevrolet Camaro before he makes his top flight debut in the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 on September 13-15.
The Supercars Championship and Super2 seasons continue at the NTI Townsville 500 on July 5-7.
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