SBR confident following Queensland test.

Stone Brothers Racing will head into the fourth round of the V8 Supercar Championship at Winton hopeful of fighting for a place on the podium on the back of a successful test session at Queensland Raceway.

The team used the two day Queensland test to focus on development and preparation for the coming rounds, concentrating on this weekend's round at Winton in particular. The test day also proved useful as a shakedown for the new team structure, with Barry Hay as SBR crew chief and Wes McDougall and David Stuart managing the JELD-WEN Motorsport and the Caltex Racing Falcons respectively.

Last season's round at Winton proved to be somewhat problematic for Russell Ingall and James Courtney, although both drivers head to the circuit in upbeat mood on the back of last week's successful test.

Currently sixth in the championship standings, second year driver Courtney said he was hopeful that the improvements made to the JELD-WEN Falcon could push him towards the top three this weekend, with better times around the corner after a trying start to the season.

"Testing on Friday was a bit like the old days in Formula One where I would be testing things for other circuits on tracks that it wasn't meant for," he said. "It was a difficult session in that regard, when you test Winton stuff at Queensland Raceway you have no gauge from the times on how you are going.

"You really need to trust your crew that you are heading in the right direction. We have come away from Friday learning a lot, not only for Winton but other rounds to come as well.

"It was great to have a run through with the new set up of the engineering guys. Everything went as planned and I feel confident that I have the right group of guys behind me to get the job done.

"I think we have a good shot at the podium this weekend; I have a bit of ground to make up on some of the Holden guys so I would like to come out of the weekend in the top four in the championship.

"We haven't had a lot of luck in recent rounds; it's been pretty frustrating waiting for everything to come together. But good things come to those who wait so there must be something good just around the corner."

Former champion Ingall admitted that Winton is a circuit that should suit the Holden teams better than the Fords, but he said the Queensland test suggested that things can change this time around.

"Testing on Friday was really the first run of the new team structure with the changes to the engineering department," he said. "It was good to have a shakedown and it worked very well. With the way V8 Supercar teams operate today, it's essential that both cars work closely together with the limits on test days and so on.

"Everything went smoothly and the new structure will maximise the development between the two cars. We gained a lot of information out of Friday's test. We focused on the circuits coming up, not so much on lap times at Queensland Raceway.

"Winton hasn't been a happy hunting ground for Falcons in recent years and the majority of the red teams test there. When you go into their backyard it's always going to be tough and they are going well anyway.

"In saying that, we have seen at Queensland Raceway that sometimes the favourites don't win on home turf.

"The nature of Winton means it doesn't really suit the Falcon; the tracks that do are yet to come. But there are always surprises and some of the things we tried on Friday were specifically for Winton. I know the track very well; it was my home circuit for seven years. If the car is up to it there is a good chance we can pull out a good result."