Alice Buckley: First V8 Supercar Laps & Racing Debut

Buckley Tests Triple Eight Commodore Ahead of Super2 Series Push

A promising young Australian racing talent, 18-year-old Alice Buckley, is gaining valuable experience behind the wheel of a Triple Eight-built Commodore at Queensland Raceway, preparing for a potential move to the Super2 Series next year.

Matt Stone racing (MSR) is evaluating Buckley in one of two ZB Commodores previously campaigned by Triple Eight in the second-tier Supercars category. Triple Eight has as decided to withdraw from the Super2 Series, leaving the cars available for other teams.

under the mentorship of experienced driver Tim Slade, Buckley is piloting the #35 Unit Racing entry, formerly driven this season by Ben gomersall, who is transitioning to Tickford Racing. The test represents a significant step in Buckley’s career progression,following a 2025 season focused on developing her skills in both TA2 adn Trans Am racing.

Did you know? – Triple Eight Race Engineering previously ran a two-car team in Super2, but opted to focus resources on its primary Supercars program. This created an prospect for teams like MSR to acquire competitive equipment.

Buckley has already demonstrated her potential, securing victories in her first two TA2 class starts in June and august. Though, a gearbox failure during a Trans Am round at The Bend resulted in an arm injury that forced her to miss two months of competition.This setback also meant she was unable to participate in a planned Super2 test with Eggleston Motorsport at Winton, an opportunity arranged by Supercars to promote female participation in the category.

MSR is also utilizing the test day to assess its Gen3 Camaro, with fellow Super2 hopeful Tommy Smith sharing driving duties in the commodore. Smith is making a transition to “tin-tops” – closed-wheel racing – after competing in open-wheel series in Europe and the United States.

Pro tip: – Transitioning between open-wheel and closed-wheel racing requires significant adaptation in driving style, especially in areas like braking and car control.

Ayrton Hodson, already confirmed for a Super2 seat with MSR next year, was also on track, logging laps in the team’s Gen3 Camaro. This evaluation day follows similar sessions conducted by Grove Racing and Erebus Motorsport at Winton the previous week,signaling a period of intensive planning for the upcoming Super2 season.

Reader question: – With several teams evaluating drivers, what factors do you think will be most crucial in securing a Super2 seat for next season?