Stone Brothers enter Hall of Fame

Ross and Jimmy Stone have been inducted into the Supercars Hall of Fame after motorsport careers spanning four decades.

The 20th and 21st inductees into the Hall of Fame, the Stones join last year’s inductee Garry Rogers, and other legends including Peter Brock, Dick Johnson, Mark Skaife and Allan Moffat.

It is often said that racing runs in the blood of many families in the Supercars pit lane, however in the case of the Stone Brothers, it is part of their DNA.

Landing on the Australian Motorsport scene in the mid-1980s, the pair worked separately for several teams before they reunited at Dick Johnson Racing in 1992, overseeing Sandown, Bathurst and Championship wins.

In 1996 they struck out on their own to form Alan Jones Racing alongside the 1980 F1 World Champion before buying AJ’s stake to form Stone Brothers Racing for the 1998 season and finding instant success with Jason Bright and Steven Richards winning the ’98 Bathurst 1000.

The skills, smarts and work ethic of these brothers from New Zealand helped them build this team into a powerhouse Supercars that swept all before it in the mid-2000s.

They created a squad that won races, pole positions and Championships – and one that involved the entire Stone family in its success.

Ross was the manager and front man, with Jimmy content to design and develop in the background away from the spotlight.

It was Marcos Ambrose and Russell Ingall that gave Ross, Jim and their Queensland-based team three Championships in a row across 2003, 2004 and 2005.

The roll call of SBR drivers is a who’s who, and speaks volumes for the fact that quality teams attract quality drivers.

SBR gave Mark Winterbottom, Shane van Gisbergen and James Courtney their first Supercars’ full-time drives, with today each Champions of the sport.

After competing in 199 championship rounds and 450 races, the curtain came down on SBR at the end of 2012, when it became Erebus Motorsport.

The record books show SBR earned three Supercars Championships, two Development Series crowns, 41 race wins, 23 round wins and 27 pole positions, alongside a Bathurst 1000 and Sandown 500 – all paying testament to the place the Stone Brothers hold in Supercars history.

They are most deserved new members of the Supercars Hall of Fame.