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Motorsport
Motorsport

Supercars Taupo: Further success for Payne vaults him up to third in the table

Chevrolet Supercars Ford Matt Payne Matthew Payne Grove Racing Broc Feeney Brodie Kostecki Cam Waters New Zealand

Matt Payne took advantage of Grove Racing’s speed and some messy racing from the opposition to take his second Supercars win of the weekend at New Zealand's Taupo Motorsport Park.

Payne emerged from an opening lap skirmish to take the lead and drove to a conventional pit strategy to take his fourth Supercars race win by 3.19 seconds.

In doing so, Payne secured the Jason Richards Memorial trophy, named for the popular NZ-born driver who was taken by cancer in December 2011.

“It's pretty special, I'm lost for words, really,” said Payne, 22.

“I managed to get the lead early on, I knew I had to do that. I think we took a bit of a step backwards [in qualifying] but we worked hard for those couple of hours and it worked.”

Podium: Race winner Matthew Payne, Grove Racing Ford Mustang GT, second place Cameron Hill, Matt Stone Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, third place Chaz Mostert, Walkinshaw Andretti United Ford Mustang GT (Photo by: Edge Photographics)

Second was a strong result for Matt Stone Racing's Cam Hill, whose Chevrolet Camaro actually took the lead (from fourth on the grid) on the opening lap when Anton de Pasquale ran wide at the opening corner in the Team 18 Chevrolet, and then again after the Fords of polesitter Brodie Kostecki (Dick Johnson Racing) and Ryan Wood (Walkinshaw Andretti United) indulged in some panel rubbing.

For the second time in 24 hours, Kostecki had to nurse his Mustang to the flag after suffering damage from contact, dropping him from third to fourth, losing that place to his Saturday nemesis, Chaz Mostert (WAU).

It was a tough Sunday for Triple 8 Racing. Will Brown started 12th and, when stuck in traffic, took the opportunity to make an early stop on lap 12. On a clear track, he made the subsequent undercut work, making his way to eighth at the flag.

Even worse off prior to the race was team-mate Broc Feeney. He was all at sea in qualifying and started from 20th, the car looking evil on the patchwork track surface. But he surged through the pack in the race, nearly taking sixth from Andre Heimgartner (Brad Jones Racing) on the last of the 61 laps.

Likewise Tickford Racing's Cam Waters made strides from a lowly 18th grid spot until delayed by a stubborn front-left wheel at his second stop. He soldiered on to finish 12th at the end of the race.

As a result, Brown leaves New Zealand with an extended points lead, on 651 to Waters on 617. Payne vaults to third on 605 ahead of Feeney.

The Supercars now set sail on the return leg to Australia, to race at Symmons Plains in Tasmania on 9-11 May.

Race 3 result:

   
1
 - 
3
   
   
1
 - 
2
   
Cla Driver Car Laps Time Interval Retirement Points
1
M. Payne Penrite Racing
Ford Mustang S650 61

1:31'45.508

      
2
C. Hill Tyrepower Racing
Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Gen3 61

+3.194

1:31'48.702

 3.194    
3 Australia C. Mostert Mobil 1 Optus Racing Ford Mustang S650 61

+8.288

1:31'53.796

 5.094    
4
B. Kostecki Dick Johnson Racing
Ford Mustang S650 61

+9.741

1:31'55.249

 1.453    
5 Australia T. Randle Monster Castrol Racing Ford Mustang S650 61

+13.782

1:31'59.290

 4.041    
6 New Zealand A. Heimgartner R&J Batteries Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Gen3 61

+15.515

1:32'01.023

 1.733    
7
B. Feeney Red Bull Ampol Racing
Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Gen3 61

+15.732

1:32'01.240

 0.217    
8 Australia W. Brown Red Bull Ampol Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Gen3 61

+22.146

1:32'07.654

 6.414    
9 Australia W. Davison Dick Johnson Racing Ford Mustang S650 61

+25.458

1:32'10.966

 3.312    
10 Australia J. Golding PremiAir Nulon Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Gen3 61

+26.900

1:32'12.408

 1.442    
11
R. Wood Mobil 1 Truck Assist Racing
Ford Mustang S650 61

+28.442

1:32'13.950

 1.542    
12 Australia C. Waters Monster Castrol Racing Ford Mustang S650 61

+28.666

1:32'14.174

 0.224    
13 New Zealand R. Stanaway PremiAir Nulon Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Gen3 61

+29.205

1:32'14.713

 0.539    
14 Australia J. Evans SCT Motorsport Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Gen3 61

+32.759

1:32'18.267

 3.554    
15 Australia J. Le Brocq Erebus Motorsport Penrite Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Gen3 61

+36.758

1:32'22.266

 3.999    
16 Australia A. De Pasquale DEWALT Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Gen3 61

+37.510

1:32'23.018

 0.752    
17 Australia D. Reynolds Tradie Beer Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Gen3 61

+38.357

1:32'23.865

 0.847    
18
K. Allen Penrite Racing
Ford Mustang S650 61

+48.159

1:32'33.667

 9.802    
19 Australia M. Jones Pizza Hut Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Gen3 61

+1'00.664

1:32'46.172

 12.505    
20 Australia J. Courtney Snowy River Racing Ford Mustang S650 61

+1'03.472

1:32'48.980

 2.808    
21
A. Cameron Brad Jones Racing
Ford Mustang S650 61

+1'08.994

1:32'54.502

 5.522    
22
C. Murray Erebus Motorsport Penrite
Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Gen3 61

+1'10.151

1:32'55.659

 1.157    
23 Australia N. Percat Bendix Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Gen3 61

+1'21.298

1:33'06.806

 11.147    
24 Australia B. Fullwood Middy's Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Gen3 61

+1'22.749

1:33'08.257

 1.451    
View full results  
In this article
Phil Branagan
Supercars
Matthew Payne
Grove Racing
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