- The PremiAir team was competing in the Gold Coast 500 race
- Supercars team left furious by ‘imbecile’ thief
The PremiAir Supercars team has offered a reward for information identifying a thief who stole a valuable piece of equipment from one of its cars during the weekend’s Gold Coast 500 race.
While their drivers James Golding and Tim Slade battled on the track, someone stole the steering wheel from a spare race car they were displaying so fans could get a closer look.
The team expressed their anger online shortly after realizing the item was missing when they were packing up the Camaro at the end of the competition.
“As if the weekend couldn’t get any worse,” PremiAir wrote on Facebook.
‘After wrapping our spare car in Boost colors and displaying it for fans to see up close, a criminal decided to steal the steering wheel.
‘If anyone has any information I would greatly appreciate it.
“We always aim to bring fans closer to the action, and it’s disheartening when things like this happen.
“It is unfortunate that some stupid acts can create barriers between participants and the fans we want to connect with.
The PremiAir Supercars team (pictured racing last Friday on the Gold Coast) has offered a $1,000 reward for information on the thief who stole the steering wheel from one of their cars.
The on-track action did nothing to brighten the team’s weekends as drivers James Golding (pictured) and Tim Slade battled their way to the front of the field.
‘We are just as surprised. “It’s a disappointing end to what should have been a positive experience for fans.”
PremiAir boss Peter Adderton offered a $1,000 reward for information identifying the person behind the “low act”, with the flyer worth approximately $7,000.
The on-track results did nothing to lift the team’s spirits, with Slade finishing 17th and 18th, and Golding 16th and 13th in the weekend’s two races.
In other action on the Gold Coast, Brodie Kostecki backed up his Bathurst 1000 victory by conquering the streets of Surfers Paradise, while Red Bull drivers Will Brown and Broc Feeney staged a thrilling showdown.
Erebus driver Kostecki was unrivaled as he produced a masterclass on Sunday to convert pole position into his first Gold Coast victory after avoiding an early race carnage.
It is the reigning Supercars champion’s second win of the season after dominating Mount Panorama with co-driver Todd Hazelwood earlier this month.
“Bathurst was a fairytale for us, and coming into this weekend we knew we were going to be there,” Kostecki said.
Brodie Kostecki (front, yellow cap) celebrates after taking a win on the Gold Coast last weekend.
“We got there, we still needed a few more adjustments, but finally today we got the car back in the window.” It was a rocket.
Series leader Brown overcame a ferocious Feeney in an exciting duel between the two Red Bulls to finish second and stay at the top of the standings.
Feeney remains Brown’s only rival in the championship race, but admits his chances of winning his first title are slim.
“I wish he (Brown) would stop and let me pass,” Feeney said.
‘Every move around here carries risks… I never had a good enough opportunity (to overtake).
It is very difficult to get to Adelaide, but we are still in the search.
“The pressure has eased a little bit now.”