SOUTH AUSTRALIAN Todd Hazelwood made an impressive start to his Dunlop Development Series campaign, finishing ninth in the second race of the championship.

The 18-year-old had never raced around the Clipsal circuit until this event, making his debut in the series with Matt Stone Racing even sweeter placing inside the top-ten at his home round.

Hazelwood was stronger as each race passed, with Saturday’s Group 1 qualifying showing the rookie on pole position, and after Group 2 qualified the teenager managed an impressive thirteenth spot.

“So stoked to finish inside the top ten on my debut, it hasn’t really kicked in yet because it has been such a hard road to get to this point, but I am over the moon to say the least,” said Hazelwood.

“My aim for this weekend was to just simply survive the technical street circuit, so come away with a top-ten result certainly exceeded our expectations.

“The car was fantastic all weekend, and it was great coming into the round knowing that the car had a very competitive race package, which is a true testament to all the guys at Matt Stone Racing.”

Hazelwood also had a great start yesterday, finishing just outside the top ten in twelfth position after his first race in the V8 series.

After round one of the Dunlop Development Series, Hazelwood currently sits in eleventh spot in the championship on 153 points.

The teenager’s next Dunlop Development Series race will be the second round of the championship, at the Winton 400 on April 4-6.