Stone weighs in on GM/Team 18 decision
Matt Stone weighs in on General Motors/Team 18 decision
Team 18 replacing Ford-bound Triple Eight as GM homologation team
MSR owner Stone supports GM's decision to pick Team 18
Matt Stone stands by General Motors’ decision to appoint Team 18 as its new homologation team, despite admitting no current team could fill Triple Eight’s shoes.
Team 18 will replace Ford-bound Triple Eight as GM's homologation team in Supercars, with a handover set to take place midway through the year.
PremiAir initially seemed likely to land the role, before Team 18 was announced on the eve of the New Zealand round.
PremiAir and BJR are now weighing up their options, with the latter recently linked to Toyota. GM, meanwhile, didn't close the door on further defections.
Regardless, Triple Eight's Ford move will leave a gaping hole in GM's Supercars stocks. Since it moved to GM machinery in 2010, Triple Eight taken 213 of GM's 294 wins in Supercars in the last 16 seasons.
Conversely, Holden Racing Team/Walkinshaw Andretti United (26 wins), Erebus (18), BJR (15), Tekno Autosports (11), MSR (three), Garry Rogers Motorsport (three), Kelly Racing (three), Team 18 (one) and Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport (one) combined for 81 wins in that time.
The numbers look slimmer given WAU has raced for Ford since 2023, Erebus raced Mercedes between 2013 and 2015, and Tekno, GRM, Kelly Racing and LDM no longer operate or have been taken over by other teams.
Through five rounds in 2025, only Triple Eight (eight) has more podiums than MSR's five. Team 18, BJR, PremiAir and Erebus have yet to claim silverware this season.
Speaking in New Zealand, Stone admitted Triple Eight will leave some big shoes to fill, but hailed the more collaborative approach between GM teams under the new arrangement.
“I think it was a tough call for GM to make, but we stand by them and their more collaborative approach,” Stone said.
“I don’t think any current GM team can step into the shoes that Triple Eight will vacate at the end of the year.
“But I think if we bound together as a group on the GM side, we can fill all of the duties of maintaining the homologation presence.
“Obviously someone has got to lead that charge, so we support GM’s decision to appoint Team 18.
“That have got Adrian there who has seen that side of it from his roles in Supercars, so we think it’s a good choice given the situation, and we stand behind it."
Track action in Tasmania will commence on Friday May 9.
