As foreshadowed by Speedcafe, the Frenchman is joining the Arundel-based “team’s engineering department,” although a precise role is yet to be announced.
While Lacroix has spent the past seven seasons at DJR, his previous employ at Triple Eight Race Engineering and a championship-winning stint also in DTM means the PremiAir appointment represents a reunion with its Team Manager, Stephen Robertson.
“We are exceptionally pleased to have someone of Ludo’s calibre joining the PremiAir Racing team,” said Team Owner Peter Xiberras.
“It is no secret that we are dedicated to having the best people on our team, and clearly Ludo is a heavyweight in his field.
“With Ludo and Stephen having worked together previously at Triple Eight, there is also an aspect of getting the band back together which I think will serve us well in 2024.”
Whether Lacroix ends up working as a Race Engineer on James Golding’s Chevrolet Camaro or Tim Slade’s, or indeed some other role, remains to be seen.
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Golding’s #31 entry was engineered by Dr Geoff Slater before he focused more on his Director of Engineering role when Simon Hodge was brought in on secondment.
Meanwhile, on Slade’s #23 entry, there was a struggle to find a permanent Race Engineer after the initial appointment of Phillip Di Fazio.
Blake Smith and Rhys Lenegan filled the position on a part-time basis before Romy Mayer assumed the role in the latter stages of 2023 after becoming a PremiAir employee midway through the season.
Regarded as an aerodynamics guru, Lacroix was previously Technical Director at Triple Eight and Competition Director at DJR, who has been integral to multiple successful homologation projects.
He has performed Race Engineer roles on and off during those periods, including as Scott McLaughlin’s first during the New Zealander’s glittering tenure at what was DJR Team Penske.
Lacroix’s departure from Stapylton means Perry Kapper has been moved onto Anton De Pasquale’s Shell V-Power Mustang to work as Race Engineer, as part of a wider shake-up which includes the return of Dr Ryan Story to the Team Principal position at the heritage Ford squad.
The Sunshine State-based teams will test at Queensland Raceway on February 5.
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