Payne reveals catalyst behind Ford-leading form
Matt Payne third in championship, first of five Ford drivers in top 10
Penrite Racing driver won twice in New Zealand, claimed Tassie finale
Payne one of six drivers in mathematical contention for Sprint Cup
Matt Payne believes Penrite Racing has been a big beneficiary of the new-for-2025 Dunlop Soft tyre, with the Kiwi leading Ford's championship charge.
Payne currently sits third in the championship with two rounds to go in the Repco Sprint Cup, before the season hits enduro mode.
Across the opening six rounds, Payne has taken the fight for Triple Eight and Broc Feeney, who leads teammate Will Brown by 183 points. Payne is only 14 points behind Brown, having been as many as 149 points behind the reigning champion after Round 2 in Melbourne.
The New Zealander is already a three-time race winner in 2025, with rookie teammate Kai Allen claiming two podiums of his own in Darwin.
A headline act of Penrite Racing's form has been its strategic masterclasses, from leading the way in New Zealand, to delivering bold gambles in Tasmania and Perth.
Speaking on the upcoming Drivers Only podcast, Payne believes Penrite Racing’s ability to make the new tyre work has been key to its solid form.
“For me and everyone, it’s been a really good year,” Payne said.
“I think last year, we were a bit disappointed to how we were going, we definitely wanted to improve on the first year of Gen3.
“Kai’s come in, it’s been really cool, he’s a top bloke, nice guy, and he’s fast as well. It helps when they’re fast. I think we’ve been doing a better job with the car.
“For us, the Soft tyre has made a big difference. I think it suits our car really well. There’s still a lot for us to work on.”
Penrite Racing is only 25 points behind Tickford Racing in the teams’ championship. With Payne third behind Feeney and Brown, and Allen closing on the top 10, Penrite Racing is leading Ford’s charge.
Cam Waters won the first three races in Sydney, while Chaz Mostert also won in New Zealand. Since Sydney, Payne has out-scored Waters by 226 points, and Mostert by 320 points.
Now 517 points clear of the cut-line with four rounds to go before Finals, Payne is looking forward to what’s to come.
“It's been going really well, especially the last few weekends. We've been to tracks that we haven't previously had success at in the past, so it's nice to really turn that around," Payne said.
“We’ve got some really good results and bagged some big points before we get into the back half of the season, just to lock in that spot in the Finals.
"I'm really looking forward to the rest of the year. I think there's some awesome tracks coming up that we have had success at. So, it's going to be pretty exciting rolling out to there and seeing what we got.”
