Solid Sunday helps Cameron Hill recover from 50th milestone race

Cameron Hill has overcome a challenging milestone race in Surfers Paradise to end the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 on a positive note.

The Canberran entered the penultimate round of the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship on a rich run of form that has seen him in the hunt for the top 10 on the overall standings.

His return to the picturesque beachside city didn’t get off to the strongest start as he was unable to get the most out of the #4 Chevrolet Camaro in either one of Friday’s practice sessions.

With Hill set to tick over 50 races in the main game on Saturday afternoon, he enjoyed a decent run in Qualifying that saw him just miss out on the top 10 shootout in the final stages - eventually settling for P16 overall.

Unfortunately Saturday’s milestone was not the result he was hoping for - a promising first stint where he made up multiple positions on the opening laps ended up with him facing the wrong way after an error when pushing hard to make a pass.

While he was able to get racing again, he eventually crossed the line in P23.

Sunday proved a brand new day for the Matt Stone Racing driver, and although he qualified in P20, the day’s dramatic 250km race proved far more successful.

Avoiding any damage on an opening lap pile up, Hill instantly made up a handful of positions and found himself not far outside in the top 10 and carried on making up ground during the opening stints.

A slow second pit stop undid some of Hill’s good work in his opening two stints, but he still managed to finish 14th and end the race as one of the biggest movers out the whole field.

Just one race remains on the 2024 calendar, with the highly anticipated VAILO Adelaide 500 to host the season finale next month.

QUOTES

Cameron Hill
#4 Chevrolet Camaro

“It was a tough weekend for us,” said Hill.

“Saturday, we had a decent qualifying and were improving after a difficult Friday. We were running okay in the race but then I made a mistake and had to do a bit of reversing, which got the attention of a lot of people out there and was pretty cool for the fans.

“Obviously it was not the result that we were looking for, but I thought the pace was still okay, so we felt pretty good about Sunday. Unfortunately we didn't qualify anywhere near good enough and had our work cut out for us.

“We dodged all the carnage on the first lap. And then from there, we were actually having a pretty good race until a slow pit stop on that last one costs us a few spots due to a cross-threaded nut.

“All in all, it was a pretty good recovery from 20th to finish 14th and much better than last year here on the Gold Coast for me.

“The big positive for me was that I rolled out a little bit off the pace, but every session I just felt like I got more and more confident. By the end of the weekend, our pace in the race was definitely good enough for top 10.

“That was definitely something that we're really happy about. And when we come back here next year, hopefully we can start a bit quicker."

Cameron Hill produces incredible Sandown 500 top 10 finish

Cameron Hill has recovered from a potentially disastrous weekend at the Penrite Oils Sandown 500 to produce a remarkable 10th place finish. 

With good friend and Repco Supercars Championship debutant Cameron Crick alongside Hill for the 2024 Endurance season, the pair managed to make up 12 positions throughout today's shortened race after starting from the back of the field.

It was a mighty effort from both drivers, who faced plenty of adversity throughout the 154 lap race, having sustained damage during the first half of the race and finding themselves dead last at multiple points during the first half of the race. 

Consistent driving from the pair and some carnage around them, along with a bold strategy and faultless pit stops from the Matt Stone Racing outfit helped the pair navigate their way up the order and into the top 10. 

Having shown good pace earlier on in the weekend during Friday’s practice sessions, Hill missed the sweet spot during the all-important Qualifying and to end the session in 22nd.

A promising start to the race saw Hill make a place up off the line to settle into 21st before the #4 SP Tools Chevrolet Camaro sustained damage not long into the race. 

Despite a couple of early pit stops, both Hill and Crick put in decent stints to slowly work their way up the field ahead of the final 20 laps of the race following a number of major incidents that had happened earlier. 

The most telling moment of the race for Hill came in the final laps when the safety car was brought out late in the race, allowing Hill back into the pits for one last change of tyres -  the brilliant cheap stop putting the Canberran out in P14 with 18 laps to go. 

When the race eventually resumed, Hill found himself in P11 after a number of drivers took stops during the safety car intervention, which turned into 10th after another incident brought out the safety car on the restart. 

As the race restarted for the final time with just a few minutes remaining, Hill held onto his top place during the remaining couple of laps to seal 10th - capping off an amazing recovery drive for both drivers.

The impressive result also saw Hill make up another position to 14th on the overall standings, while closing in on a number of drivers ahead of him.

The Repco Supercars Championships now heads to Mount Panorama for the highly anticipated Repco Bathurst 1000, which takes place on October 10-13.

QUOTES

Cameron Hill
#4 SP Tools Chevrolet Camaro

“There was a lot of action out there and we took advantage of a bit of strategy to get us back in the game,” said Hill.

“I had a really good couple of stints towards the end and we managed to finish 10th. A top 10 result here at Sandown is an awesome effort.

“I'm really happy that Cam could debut in the top 10 as well. That was awesome. And I can't thank the team enough.

“The last pit stop with mint. That's what got us the result as I think they were the fastest in the lane. So credit to the whole Matt Stone Racing team.

“The SP Tools Camaro was a jet in the dry, and now it's onto the big one ..." 

Supercars star Cameron Hill throws support behind new-look One Raceway

Cameron Hill has described the new-look One Raceway in Goulburn as “unreal” after becoming the first race driver to sample the circuit yesterday.

Matt Stone Racing Supercars star Hill was the first circuit racer to be invited to sample the new track, alongside two-time world superbike champion Troy Corser on a motorbike.

Established in 1993 and formerly known as Wakefield Park Raceway, the 2.2km circuit became embroiled in a political battle for survival. 

After closing in August 2022, new owner Steve Shelley has brought new life to the venue, featuring newly profiled banked corners at the east and west ends of the track.

The circuit also has a brand-new, modern pit complex and administration facilities.

The new layout has also been designed to allow the track to run in both directions, offering users different configurations.

It’s the only permanent motor racing circuit in Australia that features this multi-directional option.

Hill is no stranger to the circuit, located just a few kilometres from Goulburn, NSW.

The Canberran has raced and won at the venue, clinching the Australia Formula Ford Series there in 2015.

Hill was the first driver to soak in laps of the new layout yesterday, driving one of his race team’s current-spec 911 GT3 Cup type 992 Porsche. 

The circuit is almost complete, with some earth moving, landscaping and ripple strips to be added in the coming months before the first official race event in its new guise – the penultimate round of the Australian Superbike Championship on October 4-6.

Cameron Hill will return to his MSR Chevrolet Camaro for Round 8 of the Repco Supercars Championship at Symmons Plains Raceway in Tasmania next week.

QUOTES

Cameron Hill
Supercars driver

“It's just incredible the work that has been done by Steve and his team here at One Raceway,” said Hill.

“It was such a shame when we lost this track. But it’s back and it's really unreal. I can't wait to sort of see the full finished product.

“There's a whole range of work that's gone down here. In some parts, it still looks like the old Wakefield Park, but there's so much work that's happened. The pit facilities have been completely transformed. All the surroundings have been given a huge facelift – there's been so much work done – obviously, to combat some of the issues that they've faced in the past. 

“The track surface is all brand-new, and it's that nice, grippy tarmac that we all love. 

“The last corner, I think it would get a lot of people's attention as well. There's some serious banking on it. 

“And it’s a great initiative that the track actually runs the opposite direction also. This will really give drivers, teams and spectators a totally different experience each time they come here.

“For a professional driver, ONE Raceway is at a high standard, and great that it’s pretty close to my home town, but I'm just as interested in our amateur drivers, or drive days, or ride day type people too. It's really going to suit the way they go about their motorsport. I think this track is definitely going to cater to everyone from high-level and state and national level events, all the way down to your track day enthusiast – both cars and bikes. 

“It was very nice of Andrew to loan me the keys to his GT3 Cup car. Obviously, it reminds me of when I raced in Carrera Cup, and around here, it certainly grabbed my attention. 

“The corners are coming up really quick. You know, you really have to sort of hustle the car, and, yeah, it was quite enjoyable.”