Matt Stone Racing continued to build momentum at the Darwin Triple Crown, Round 6 of the 2026 Supercars Championship, with both Camaros demonstrating strong speed throughout the weekend. The highlight came in qualifying, where Jack Le Brocq and Zach Bates both secured appearances in the Top Ten Shootout on multiple occasions, underlining the pace of the team as the Championship approaches its halfway mark.
In the No.4 Sherrin Rentals Camaro, Jack Le Brocq delivered another determined performance to remain firmly in the hunt for a coveted place inside the Championship’s top ten. While Race 17 proved challenging, Jack bounced back strongly across the remainder of the weekend, converting impressive qualifying speed into top-ten finishes in both Race 18 and Race 19. His results of 24th, 9th and 8th keep him well within striking distance as the Finals race begins to take shape, while his consistent qualifying form was a clear indication of the underlying pace in the MSR package.
For Zach Bates, Darwin was another weekend that showcased his growing confidence and outright speed behind the wheel of the No.10 Bendix Racing Camaro. The rookie once again proved he can match it with the category’s established stars over a single lap, delivering a series of standout qualifying performances and multiple Top Ten Shootout appearances. Unfortunately, a string of penalties across the weekend prevented those efforts from being fully reflected in the final results, with Bates finishing 16th, 22nd and 21st across the three races. Despite that, the pace shown throughout the event provides plenty of encouragement heading into the next phase of the season.
Matt Stone Racing leaves Darwin confident that we’re continuing to move in the right direction. Strong qualifying performances, improved race pace and the continued development of both drivers provide a solid foundation as the Championship heads to Townsville — a circuit that has historically been kind to the team. With a sense of unfinished business and the added excitement of the team’s Wildcard entry making its 2026 debut, the squad is eager to carry its momentum north and continue its push through the second half of the season.
QUOTES
Matt Stone
Team Owner, Matt Stone Racing
“There were plenty of positives to take away from Darwin. To have both Jack and Zach regularly featuring in the Top Ten Shootout shows the speed we’ve got in the cars at the moment, and while the race results didn’t always reflect that pace, we’re continuing to trend in the right direction. The competition is incredibly tight this year, so being consistently in the mix during qualifying is an important step forward for our program. We’ll take the lessons from this weekend, keep building, and head to Townsville confident that we can put together an even stronger all-round performance. With the addition of our Wildcard entry, it’s shaping up to be an exciting event for the whole team.”
Jack Le Brocq
Driver, No.4 Sherrin Rentals Camaro
“There was definitely a lot to like about our weekend in Darwin. The car had strong pace in qualifying and it was great to convert that into a pair of top-ten finishes on both Saturday and Sunday after a tough start to the weekend. We made some good progress across the event and I felt like we were able to improve the car each time we hit the track. We’re right in the fight where it matters in the championship, so the focus now is on carrying this momentum into Townsville and continuing to bank strong points. It’s a track that’s been good to the team in the past and I’m excited to see what we can achieve there.”
Zach Bates
Driver, No.10 Bendix Racing Camaro
“The pace we had across the weekend was really encouraging. We were able to put together some strong qualifying performances and show that we can challenge at the front, but unfortunately a few penalties meant we weren’t able to maximise the results. That’s probably the most frustrating part because the speed was genuinely there, and as a team we know the results could have looked very different with a cleaner weekend. At the same time, there are a lot of positives to take away, particularly the gains we’ve made in qualifying performance. I’m looking forward to getting to Townsville and hopefully converting that pace into the results we know we’re capable of.”
