SBR restructures in bid for title.

Stone Brothers Racing has moved to streamline its senior team structure in a bid to increase its chances for a fourth V8 Supercar Championship following strong starts to the season for James Courtney and Russell Ingall.

The departure of JELD-WEN Motorsport Falcon car manager Paul Forgie from the Gold Coast-based team has prompted the changes, which will be effective immediately.

Forgie finishes at SBR on Friday [4 May], before heading to the United States to investigate the possibility of working with former SBR favourite - and double V8 champion - Marcos Ambrose on his Busch Series programme. Caltex Racing car manager Barry Hay will step up as crew chief to oversee both SBR Falcons, his role extending to the track and the workshop.

Forgie has been an employee at SBR for six years, and managed Ambrose's Falcon between 2001-05, achieving V8 titles in 2003 and 2004. He went on to manage Courtney's efforts in the JELD-WEN car when Ambrose headed to the US in 2006.

"We wish Paul all the best in his new role - it's certainly a great opportunity for him," team Manager and co-owner Ross Stone said, "Paul was car manager on Ambrose's car when we won two championships, and we would like to thank him for his efforts over the years and support him in this new endeavour. In many ways, we still think of Marcos as being a part of SBR and we are pleased to continue that relationship with Paul now joining him in the US."

Hay, who started at SBR in 2000, takes on the new responsibility after three years leading the Caltex Racing crew on Ingall's car, and will oversee engineers Wes McDougall and David Stuart, who will manage the #4 and #9 cars respectively.

"We have a great depth of experience at SBR and I have absolute confidence in Barry, Wes and David in their new roles," Stone continued, "These changes will promote an even closer working relationship between the two cars, and Jimmy [Stone] and I believe that this will assist with the speed of new development and improvements."