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Matt Stone Racing’s Cameron Hill was more than a match for the treacherous and changeable conditions of New Zealand at the Repco Supercars Championship debut at Taupo International Motorsport Park on the weekend.
The Australian Grand Prix displayed his top 10 pace in qualifying, though this went unrewarded during the races as Hill was on the wrong end of questionable driving standards.
Hill entered New Zealand with fresh focus and a new livery, courtesy of long-time backer Supaglass Industries, which also honoured the Stone family in its homeland.
At the Taupo circuit, Hill set about learning the new-to-Supercars layout having only raced in New Zealand once before and had never visited the latest addition to the Repco Supercars Championship calendar before.
It didn’t take Hill long to adapt as the mixed weather conditions provided a challenge, but a 1m 28.231s ensured another Top 10 Shootout berth – his second in his Supercars career after making his first appearance at Bathurst’s opening round.
The various surface changes during a lap made this Top 10 Shootout a tough assignment, but Hill managed to set the sixth fastest time, placing him in a good position given early predictions of Taupo being a hard place to pass.
An incident in front in Race 1 elevated Hill to fourth where he ran comfortably until he was delayed as he exited his pit box as other competitors blocked him in. This incident dropped him to the back, ultimately finishing 20th.
In Sunday's second race, Hill qualified 17th, just 0.892s from the fastest time, or 0.555s from taking part in another Top 10 Shootout, highlighting how close the field is.
Confidence was in the race package and this proved true as Hill ran around the top 10 to score 11th to fulfil the pace displayed not only at Taupo, but the Grand Prix.
The three-day race event was a massive coup for Supercars, with over 67,000 Supercars fans streaming through the gates to enjoy the racing, despite the inclement weather.
Hill now prepares for the next round of the Repco Supercars Championship at Carco.com.au Raceway in Perth on May 17-19.
QUOTES
Cameron Hill
#4 Supaglass Racing, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
“It was an awesome weekend,” said Hill.
“We had a really good time coming to a new track and seeing so many awesome fans.
“It was an up and down weekend in terms of on-track where we had some pretty good speed, made the Top 10 Shootout on Saturday followed by a tough race where we got caught up in some pit lane shenanigans.
“We didn’t quite nail qualifying on Sunday, coming out of 17th, but I had a good race car and we managed to claw ourselves back up to be in and out of the top 10 as I finished 11th in the end. I’m very happy with that.
“Big thanks to Supaglass for coming onboard for this weekend and the whole Matt Stone Racing crew for giving me an awesome car. Roll on Perth.”
