Payne: Taupō exposed teams with poor tyre life

Supercars’ newest circuit showed which teams have good tyre life and which teams don’t, says Penrite Racing driver Matt Payne.

Last weekend's ITM Taupō Super400 was held on the one of the most abrasive surfaces on the calendar, and a number of teams were caught out.

That included Payne, who started from pole in Sunday’s dry race, but fell back in the opening stint and came home a distant fourth, with Triple Eight dominating.

Payne, however, said his team is a “work in progress” and was pleased to have one-lap pace.

"Not too bad of a result today – P4 – I'll take it, it's good points,” Payne said after Sunday’s race.

“Probably not so good when you're starting from first but, hey, it's alright. We probably didn't have the car today; we just struggled with the tyre life.

“So, we'll get there, we're a work in progress, so we're not giving up at all. If anything, we're going to keep pushing harder, keep persevering.

“I think this weekend really separated the cars that had good tyre life and the cars that have really poor tyre life."

The Kiwi driver’s early rounds have been undone by a DNF and 14th in Melbourne, following collisions with Ford rivals Cam Waters and Chaz Mostert.

In the Taupō opener, Payne was turned around at the first corner, and is fifth in the standings behind teammate Richie Stanaway.

Team owner Stephen Grove said: “We just didn't have the pace at Taupō. “It was a solid weekend, but I wouldn't say more than that. There were opportunities we missed.

“The positive this weekend is that Richie Stanaway is back. It was good to see. He was out there fighting.

“We keep building and building as a team, so have to keep putting our best foot forward.”

Penrite Racing remains second in the teams' championship, albeit 481 points behind Triple Eight, heading to Perth next month.

Tickets for the May 17-19 Perth round are on sale now.