Hazelwood: MSR growth centred on Gen3

Team growth with an eye on Gen3 is at the centre of Matt Stone Racing’s 2022 campaign, says Todd Hazelwood.

MSR will race Camaros when the Gen3 era begins next year.

The project continues to rack up milestones by the week, with more parts being signed off.

MSR has ordered three chassis from PACE Innovations, but the team will complete the bulk of assembly in-house.

The team also has a technical alliance with homologation team Triple Eight Race Engineering.

Hazelwood explained MSR is focused on arming itself with the right personnel to "come out the blocks swinging” next year.

“We’re ready to embrace it, we’re not looking at is as a negative thing,” Hazelwood said of Gen3 on the Parked Up podcast.

A render of an MSR Gen3 Camaro

“If we do the hard work now, that gives us the best opportunity possible to come out the blocks swinging.

“The back half of this year is to keep growing this team… get it to the point when we do get to Gen3, we’ve got all our processes in place.

“We all want to achieve success, rather than be a team that’s making up the numbers.

“Matt in particular is a pretty motivated guy, he wants to go out to win races.

“When you carry the Stone name, that DNA, the Stone family like to go racing and do it well.

“We’ve got the same goal in mind. Hopefully we can bring it to life.”

Back in May, Stone said General Motors machinery was the “clear choice” for the team moving forward.

MSR has campaigned Commoddores since 2018

The team has consolidated with GM; MSR will race its current ZB Commodores in the 2023 Dunlop Series, and will also race three VF Commodores in Super3.

"Our factory operates three different racing divisions, Supercars, Supports and Special Projects," Stone explained.

"All three of these areas are scaling up currently and it’s critical that we have the best possible partners in every area.

"For us knowing what we have planned for the future, GM and Chevy Racing were the clear choice for us.

"When we entered Supercars just over four years ago, we had around 10 employees, now we have 35.

"Things are building nicely, and the team is improving all the time.”

MSR’s final main game season racing Commodores has been a topsy-turvy affair.

Hazelwood began the season on the cusp of the top 10, but has since dropped to 14th overall.

Jack Le Brocq is now 17th in the standings, having been as low as 25th and last of the full-time drivers in Perth.

Hazelwood has qualified no better than 16th since Perth, his last top 10 coming in the that round's finale.

The 2017 Super2 champion bemoaned having to play catch-up, but cast his eye to improving his position in the closing rounds of 2022.

“It’s disappointing,” Hazelwood said of his ongoing slump.

“That’s the aim of the game. Still a long way to go yet.

“There are some big points races up for grabs towards the back half of the season.

“It’s been a couple of minor things that have held us back, nothing major.

“The field is so close; you only have to be a couple of tenths off.

“You either look like a hero being inside the top 10… we have’t been up to scratch in the last couple of rounds, and it’s punished us."

Cars will hit the track at the OTR SuperSprint on Saturday. Purchase your tickets now.