Home test for SBR's home round.

By Matthew Agius.

Stone Brothers Racing has engaged itself in an intensive and critical test session ahead of the sixth round of the 2006 V8 Supercar Championship Series at Queensland Raceway.

The Bigpond 400 is the home event for the reigning champions, however a poor start to the championship - one that has seen both Stone Brothers Racing Falcons struggle to crack the top ten in qualifying - has seemingly increased the Yatala squad's chances of winning this weekend.

Both defending champion Russell Ingall and his new teammate James Courtney completed over one-hundred laps of testing at the Willowbank circuit, with the team's endurance drivers also contributing to the team's workday. Team leader Russell Ingall was pleased with how well the session went, especially with the information shared between teammate Courtney and him.

"Yesterday was a very successful day. We tested for about 10 hours and got through a lot between the two cars," said Ingall.

"Both cars tried some different set ups and we had gains on both so combining this we should have a really strong package for Queensland Raceway.

"James did a great job yesterday. It's great to have a team mate that likes a similar feel to the car as me. The feedback from him is then relative and it works really well for both of us. We are confident that we have come out of the test with a really good package."

Courtney echoed his associates thoughts and is looking to driving on a circuit he has experience on.

"We had a great days running yesterday. We gathered a lot of interesting information, backing up the changes that we made. It was definitely a big step forward," said Courtney.

"Russell and I ran different programs and both found time. It's a real benefit having a team mate that has a similar driving style. It means that you can effectively do double the testing.

"I'm really looking forward to the next round, being our home race. We are sitting in a really strong position."