Alice Buckley reacts to 'pinch myself' Supercar laps

Rising star Alice Buckley has taken her next steps towards jumping on the Supercars ladder, completing her first laps in a Supercar with Matt Stone Racing.

The 2025 Toyota GAZOO Racing Australia Scholarship Series winner got behind the wheel a Triple Eight-built ZB Commodore at Queensland Raceway on Monday.

Buckley was mentored by Supercars race winner Tim Slade and veteran engineer Wes McDougall, as she got to grips with the ex-Triple Eight ZB Commodore previously raced by Tickford Autosport-bound Ben Gomersall.

The car itself will contest next year's Dunlop Super2 Series, with former Anderson Motorsport driver Ayrton Hodson already confirmed at the team for 2026.

It was a belated Supercar test for Buckley, who was unable to drive an Eggleston Motorsport Holden in a planned evaluation day earlier this year after being sidelined through injury.

This time around, Buckley took her opportunity, and liked what she saw.

"It was awesome, to say the least," Buckley told Supercars.com.

"It was a little bit of a 'pinch myself' moment. The car was fast out of the gate and it was a really productive test day.

"Tim and Wes have a lot of experience, and they've worked together before. It was such an amazing opportunity and I can't think MSR enough for it.

"What they're doing for junior drivers like myself is really incredible and it'll be something I never forget.

"I absolutely loved it. I fell in love with the car straight away."

Buckley was the second female racer to steer a Supercars in recent days, following former Carrera Cup racer Courtney Prince's drive of an Eggleston Commodore at Winton last week.

Buckley shared the day with fellow Super2 hopeful Tommy Smith, who has returned to Australia following a stint racing open-wheelers in Europe and the United States.

Buckley is working towards moving into Super2 in 2026, having made the successful leap from Toyota 86s to TA2/Trans Am this year.

On what was a hot day in Ipswich, Buckley was able to apply learnings from previous tin top cars to hone in on set-up in the 600 horsepower Commodore.

"Turns 1 and 2 were a little bit different, but other than that, I could reference off other things I've driven from a track point of view," she explained.

"I did 60 odd laps, but I think the most progression I found in myself was in middle of the day when got really hot.

"It was a very warm day, but it gave me the opportunity to not focus on a lap time and focus more on getting all the procedures right."

The 2026 Super2 season commences in Sydney on February 20-22.