DEVELOPING young talent - that has been one of the mantras for Matt Stone since he established his own race team and a reason why he would support a rule change to allow drivers to share the same Supercars entry.
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As it currently stands in the Supercars series, the only time a car is shared is during the three Enduro Cup rounds - the Bathurst 1000, Gold Coast 600 and Sandown 500.
For those events full-time Supercars drivers share their seat with a co-driver, but currently that co-driver is not allowed to be another main game competitor.
But there has been discussion that to further promote driver development, teams be allowed to run a full-time entry which is shared by two drivers for the entire season.
Stone, who not only runs a car in the Supercars championship but the second tier Super2 series as well, feels that would be a positive move.
He thinks it would help younger drivers transitioning from a Super2 role to the pressures of the Supercars series.
"I'm actually in a strong position for that, I believe that at the moment you've got a lot of young, talented drivers in Super2 and you've got a missing step between Super2 and main game," Stone said.
"A program like that, I think, would help develop the drivers, help them get into Supercars at an earlier level with less pressure of a full-time season.
"[It's] Easier from a budget to achieve as well, it would be something which might be quite good for driver development."
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But while Stone, who is in his second year running a car in the Supercars series, is a supporter of the idea other team owners feel differently.
Erebus Motorsport's Betty Klimenko is one owner who is against the idea.
"It's the main game, we've got to treat it as the main game, not as a training ground," she said.
"It just think we have to keep our structure straight."
Brad Jones, who runs a three-car Supercars operation, did not dismiss the notion entirely but feels that it is not the right time for a shared entry to be permitted.
"The commission have talked about having the drivers split ... but my personal opinion, and that's what it is, is that it's not the right way to go for the category at the moment," he said.
"I think that we made a point of giving a primary driver to the car and I think that's what we should stick to unless of course someone is injured or hurt or something happens they can't drive the car, then we should be able to put someone else in.
"It's something that has been talked about for sure, but it's not something that I support right now."
One way the Supercars Commission currently helps to expose more drivers to the main game is through the wildcard system.
It is a system which has seen cousins Jake and Brodie Kostecki, aged 19 and 21 respectively, join the Bathurst 1000 field for the first time this year.
Both men have opted out of their Super2 duties at Mount Panorama to concentrate on their Great Race debut, while they will also steer their ZB Commodore in the Gold Coast 600 and Sandown 500.
Tickford Racing's CEO Tim Edwards rates the wildcard system as a success, pointing to current Enduro Cup co-drivers Jack Smith (Matt Stone Racing) and Thomas Randle (Bottle-O Racing) as further proof.
"It [Supercars Commission] does recognise that there is a void between the Super2 and the main game and I think you've seen over the last few years it has worked very successfully," he said.
"I think it's important to remember the whole purpose of the wildcards being introduced a few years ago is to try and bridge that gap.
"Obviously Jack did multiple rounds this year, we saw Thomas Randle do a round this year and I think that was a great transition for him.
"We are very mindful of the gap between the two categories, I think the proof is in the pudding, the wildcard program has worked."
But Stone would still prefer to see the split driver concept be introduced on top of the wildcard system.
"I don't really see the difference in concept to be honest, I think for a team like us to go to a second car, you know we've always been about young drivers in Super2 and main game," he said.
"Both last year and this year we've given a young driver their first co-drives, so to do a wildcard is a bit of a flaw at the moment because you can't use your Super2 car in the main game because they're different specs.
"It makes it the only way to do a wildcard is to have a dedicated car for that which makes it impractical. Whereas if you were to run a whole entry with two drivers it would help give those young guys a stepping stone and get more cars on the grid in the main game.
"I think as a concept it warrants thought."
