Stone says his minnow team is a contender
By Andrew Clarke
Date posted: 23 March 2025
Matt Stone Racing has been the poster child for Supercars’ Gen3 racers, proving that the playing field is equal after enjoying its latest success at the Melbourne SuperSprint.
Gen3 has been kind to Matt Stone Racing, a bunch of no-nonsense racers from the Gold Coast led by a second-generation team leader. The son of Jim Stone of the legendary Stone Brothers Racing, Matt Stone grew up with motorsport everywhere he looked, and today, he carries the Stone name in Supercars with aplomb.
He also says that if they can win races and score a one-two finish, there is no reason his small team can’t contend for the title, especially with the new Finals system that will be used for the first time this year.
READ FULL STORY, PLUS CAM HILL FEATURE IN THE LATEST ISSUE OF AUTO ACTION HERE
In every season of the Gen3 era, MSR has secured victories, starting with Jack Le Brocq in 2023, followed by two wins with Nick Percat in 2024, and now a remarkable one-two finish in Albert Park that delivered Cam Hill his first win and the team its first quinella.
“It’s pretty spectacular, and coming back from the horror weekend we had in Sydney to achieve the best result we’ve ever had here in Melbourne is phenomenal,” Stone says.
“Credit to the drivers and the whole team for the effort they’ve put in. We gave ourselves a swift kick in the arse after Sydney and went back to basics, and then came here and delivered.”
Without being too glib about the Sydney results, he doubts any team has ever had a one-two finish from the last spot in the pitlane. The team now sits in the fifth garage order for Taupo.
“We’ve seen the growth with Cam, and it coincides with the team’s growth.
“To get the first win and the monkey off his back, so to speak, it’s great to tick that box so early in the season, and it means we can strive to see what the rest of the season can bring.
“For us, there are a couple of tracks we’re always brilliant at, a couple of tracks we struggle with, and then there are a bunch where we’re okay. We’ve got to harness a bit of the secret sauce from AGP and Tassie and see if we can’t apply that to some of those not our specialty rounds.
“The most impressive thing the Red Bull cars do is they do it every week. We can beat them; we just can’t always beat them.
“I think I said to someone before the Friday race; it could be season-defining because when your cars are close together in such a position, you could end up looking like fools because they threw it away, or heroes as they were.”
The minnows of the pitlane have been growing silently and are nearly fully resourced and ready to join in the fight with both its cars.
“Whenever we’ve got a spare dollar, we’ll always look for what else we can bring in, be it equipment or personnel.
“This is the pinnacle of Australian motorsport and probably the most competitive touring car category in the world, and to win is such a hard job and such a monumental achievement. To go one-two is pretty special, and absolutely, we can do it again.”
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