Payne survives broken rim after De Pasquale hit
Matt Payne finishes third in Race 4 with broken rim
Payne collided with Anton De Pasquale on first lap
Penrite Racing driver scores second straight podium
Matt Payne brought home a second consecutive Melbourne podium with a broken rim following a first-lap collision with Anton De Pasquale.
The Penrite Racing driver, who finished third on Thursday, fought to third in Friday’s Race 4 behind winner Will Brown and Mark Winterbottom.
Payne’s race almost ended before it started, with the #19 Penrite Ford making wheel-to-wheel contact with De Pasquale’s #11 Shell V-Power Mustang.
De Pasquale was carted wide through Turn 4, and was forced into retirement. De Pasquale is now 20th in the championship, 287 points from the lead.
Payne battled back to fourth, which became third when Broc Feeney bowled a wide at the second-last corner on the penultimate lap.
Speaking after the race, Payne said the contact ripped his steering wheel out of hands.
“That happened at the start, I was battling with Anton,” Payne recounted.
"We sort of came together at Turn 4, and I lost the steering out of my hands, and it just pulled me off the track. So, the wheels obviously interlocked.
"But yeah, another third place is pretty good. I can't complain. Car’s pretty sweet. It’s all about picking the moves at the right time, because there's so much going on.
"Everyone’s doing different strategies trying to push with the tyre, and it's really hard to see who's sort of got what. But yeah, good to good to have another podium, good solid points.”
Payne consolidated third in the standings, but is now just 52 points behind Chaz Mostert, who came home 17th after suffering severe tyre blistering.
Supercars will return to Albert Park on Saturday for Race 5 Qualifying at 9:00am AEST, before Race 6 Qualifying at 9:25am. Saturday Supercars action will conclude with Race 5, which starts at 5:40pm and runs 14 laps or one lap after 6:08pm.
