Matt Stone says Jake Kostecki’s graduation to Tickford Racing is evidence his team’s SuperLite model works.

Kostecki joined the Supercars Championship part-time in 2020, sharing a Holden ZB Commodore with fellow young gun Zane Goddard.

The pair were duly promoted to full-time status in 2021 and have each had strong showings throughout the season.

Notably, Kostecki claimed a career-best fifth place finish at Hidden Valley Raceway.

However, Kostecki’s tenure at Matt Stone Racing is set to come to an end soon, with Tickford Racing signing the 21-year-old on a multi-year deal.

“It’s good to solidify that we brought Jake and Zane both into the championship through SuperLite and it’s good to see that they’re both standing on their own two feet within the championship, be that in Jake’s case either inside or outside of MSR,” said Stone.

“We’re happy to see that he’s continuing to race in the championship and has still got a seat.”

Asked if he had seen year-on-year gains with Kostecki, Stone replied, “We definitely saw improvement.

“We saw it on the inside last year, although it probably wasn’t evident, and hence decided to back him into his own seat this year – same with Zane.

“Obviously Zane has had some good qualifying form, Jake has had a couple of good race results, although has struggled a bit in qualifying.

“Certainly, both of them have started to transition into the next step where they’re getting a bit more results-focused.

“He’s definitely always improving and I’m sure there’s still more in the tank and further to go.”

Now Matt Stone Racing is moving into a new phase.

The team looks destined to move away from a set-up that is wholly youth-focused, with experienced campaigner Jack Le Brocq set to come onboard.

Le Brocq will come to the team with four seasons under his belt, two at Tekno Autosports (now Team Sydney) and two at Tickford Racing.

“Certainly for the past couple of years we’ve been focused around your rookies and your young drivers,” Stone explained.

“Obviously as we transition as a team, and Jake transitions into a different team, our focus is shifting into more experience – be that experience of the drivers we’ve got that they’ve achieved with us or experienced guys out there.

“Certainly, it’s proof that the SuperLite model has worked well and reinforces our desire to bring that back with a third entry should we ever obtain a third REC [Racing Entitlements Contract]. I certainly see it as proof that that process has paid dividends for everyone involved.

“We’re obviously working through our plans and we’re pretty strong with where we are with it all. As for when it all becomes public, we’re just working through that all internally, dotting the i’s, crossing the t’s. I would think we’d hopefully have something out fairly soon.”

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