After years of trying, team owner Peter Xiberras was finally able to convince Dane to join the Gold Coast-based team.
At Triple Eight Race Engineering, Dane led the Banyo-based Supercars team to multiple drivers’ and teams’ championship wins before relinquishing the reins.
Although Dane has been present with PremiAir at events this year, he will not formally begin in his team principal position until 2026.
Ojeda and Fraser are conscious that success will not come overnight, but are excited about the high-profile addition of Dane.
“Ultimately, he’s the benchmark when it comes to leading a team forward and creating an environment that races to win,” Ojeda told Speedcafe.
“It’s awesome having him involved and his involvement increasing for next year and it’s something we’re really looking forward to.”
Fraser will join the team full-time next year and has also embedded himself in the team early.
Like Dane, Fraser was at the latest Supercars round at Sandown getting familiar. That has extended to workshop visits too, where said the mood is high amid Dane’s impending arrival.
“I’ve been in the workshop. I was in there for basically a week straight. Obviously I’m not driving at the end of the year, but just meeting all the guys and girls and just trying to be as involved in the team as possible,” said Fraser.
“There’s a lot to learn as you go. From team to team, and I learnt that from going from Triple Eight to Tickford to BJR and obviously now PremiAir, everyone has their little things that they do differently.
“So for me it’s just being acquainted with them, and so far I’ve loved it.
“Even Pete said the shift in the team, in terms of the personnel and everything in their morale, everything’s boosted. It just gets me excited. I just want to go out and just race.”
For Fraser, it marks a reunion with Dane.
He won the 2022 Dunlop Super2 Series title with Triple Eight and was part of the team’s Supercheap Auto-backed wildcard program alongside Craig Lowndes that year too.
Fraser recalled one of his first interactions with Dane in 2020, which began their working relationship.
“I know Roland, the way that he operates, I know how he operates, and I know exactly what his expectations are,” said Fraser.
“I even think back to the very first time that Roland and I sort of interacted was in Super3 in the COVID year, and we were racing Aussie tin tops up in Townsville.
“I couldn’t pay for green tyres, and he came over and was like, ‘Well, you’re not going out there on old tyres, so he bought me a set of greens.
“From there, the relationship’s just grown. To have him now as my team principal, I guess you could say it’s a pretty cool, full-circle moment for me.”
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