Stone: First win 'validation' of MSR’s ambitions
As Matt Stone Racing’s Supercars transporter returned to its workshop this morning, the Yatala-based team was faced with a new challenge: finding where to place its first race win trophy.
The two-car Truck Assist Racing squad scored its first pole, podium, and race win in team history thanks to Jack Le Brocq in Race 15 of the betr Darwin Triple Crown last weekend.
As the team’s first race-winning car and unique didgeridoo trophies were unloaded from its transporter, Stone, whose team entered Supercars full-time in 2018, reflected on the achievement nearly six years in the making.
“Obviously reality's sinking in that we came away with some silverware or didgeridoos in this case,” Stone said. “So yeah, we found a place for the stickers in the workshop and now we've got to make a new shelf to hang up the didgeridoos out in reception. That's about the busiest thing to do today.”
MSR has already been on the up in 2023. Le Brocq has consistently raced in the top 10 throughout the season, while rookie Cameron Hill has steadily improved his game among the tightly-contested Supercars field.
“We're sort of ticking all the boxes we wanted to,” Stone added. “We really wanted to get that top 10 championship result this year and, and we're tracking well to do that.
“Some strong rookie results from Cam. We probably think he hasn’t quite shown in the points what we believe he's capable of. He’s had some great pace, but a few things haven’t gone his way early in the season.
“So very happy with how that's tracking, but we want to try and get some more solid points for him and see if we can't move him up in the rookie cup.”
The win was a special one for the Stone family, which is no stranger to success in Supercars. Matt’s father Jimmy and uncle Ross led the formidable Stone Brothers Racing, which dominated the championship from 2003-2005 with the likes of Marcos Ambrose and Russell Ingall.
“Jimmy was actually the first person I spoke to outside of Darwin after the race win,” Matt said. “He was a bit regretful that he couldn't be there, he was over in New Zealand visiting family and sitting onto the edge of his seat and absolutely loving every moment of it.
“For us as a family organization to get back up onto the top step, it's certainly very gratifying and it just leaves us wanting more…It's been a long time coming, you know, we've been building towards it and JLB the team and all the team partners, everyone's been behind us and believed in us, so it's great to get that validation and get out there and show what we're about.”
With an aim toward keeping Le Brocq in the Championship’s top 10 and elevating Hill above his rookie peers, MSR will next hit the track at the NTI Townsville 500, taking place July 7-9.
The event will be the sixth of the 2023 Repco Supercars Championship season, and marks the first time that the 25-car field of Gen3 Supercars will race on the streets around Reid Park.
