ROLAND Dane has revealed he encouraged Triple Eight to sign Jayden Ojeda when it was on the hunt for a Shane van Gisbergen replacement.
Dane and Ojeda are nowadays core elements of PremiAir Racing, but at the time – three years ago – ‘RD’ was chairman of the Triple Eight board.
To recap, the all-conquering Brisbane team had an unexpected vacancy pop up for 2024 after van Gisbergen’s Chicago heroics made an imminent NASCAR switch inevitable for the Kiwi.
There was genuine uncertainty regarding what Triple Eight would do, before it managed to land Will Brown, who sought an early release from his Erebus Motorsport deal. Brown went on to win the championship in his first season with Triple Eight.
But in a parallel universe, it could have been Ojeda slotting in as Broc Feeney’s new teammate.
Jayden Ojeda. Pic: PremiAir Racing
“I’m surprised he wasn’t in Supercars already,” said Dane.
“I put him forward when I was on the board of Triple Eight as a replacement for Shane.
“In the end, quite rightly, Will Brown was available and got the drive.
“But to me, he should have been in Supercars already. I was surprised he wasn’t given his track record.
“Hopefully he continues on the trajectory he is and proves me right.”
Ojeda leads Supercars’ five-pronged rookie contingent this season and has quickly established himself as an asset for PremiAir to build around.
“Somebody who is as good as Jayden, for sure, other people should be looking at him but ultimately I hope that he’ll stay with PremiAir. He certainly is committed for next year,” noted Dane.
It had not previously been specified whether Ojeda was a done deal to remain in 2027.
Declan Fraser and Jayden Ojeda form PremiAir Racing’s 2026 line-up. Pic: Supplied/Mark Horsburgh