Future set in Stone
GOLD COAST WILL WELCOME A THIRD SUPERCARS TEAM IN 2018 – AND IT’S A FAMILIAR NAME DRIVING THE FRANCHISE, AS CONNOR O’BRIEN REPORTS
MATT Stone will deliver a “homecoming” to nostalgic Ford fans when he brings a third Gold Coast team to the Supercars grid in 2018.
The Stone name is iconic in Australia’s premier motorsport category.
The former Stone Brothers Racing outfit, run by Supercars Hall of Fame brothers Ross and Jim Stone, broke Holden’s stranglehold on the sport to bring long-awaited championships to the Blue Oval in 2003-05 via Marcos Ambrose and Russell Ingall.
SBR were bought out by Erebus Motorsport for the 2013 season but after a fiveyear hiatus the family name will now return in an operation
led by Jim’s son Matt. Based in Yatala, Matt Stone Racing this year won the second-tier Super2 series with Todd Hazelwood at the wheel of a Holden.
But the squad will now switch to Ford for their step up into the main game.
“It is certainly good to get
those sort of (SBR) fans back onboard,” said Stone, whose father remains active in an advising capacity.
“And obviously going back to Ford it’s a bit of a homecoming there as well, going back to the main game and back to Ford at the same time. So yeah it is pretty exciting.”
Hazelwood, who lives on the Gold Coast, is understood to be on a two-year deal with the team.
Stone believes the team have got what it takes to succeed but knows a building phase will likely come first.
“It is certainly nothing to be underestimated. It’s a huge step up,” he said of promoting from Super2.
“As a team, we’ve competed in a number of different categories and as a business we’re probably larger than some of the smaller Supercars teams already.
“But going to that top tier of racing, it’s a lot more full on than anything else.
“The first year is always a learning year. You have got to have modest expectations for your first year and looking into the second year as a good opportunity to really start showing some promise.”
DJR Team Penske (Stapylton) and Tekno Autosports (Yatala) are also based on the Coast.