Payne reveals extent of fuel scare in 'crazy' podium run
Matt Payne reveals fuel scare in Perth victory charge
Kiwi admitted he had settled on a 12th place finish before lucky break
Payne has two wins and a second place in last three Sunday races
Few drivers went on a rollercoaster quite like Matt Payne in the Perth finale, with fuel troubles and a well-timed Safety Car leading to a mixed day.
The Penrite Racing driver fell just 0.5s of a third consecutive Sunday win, missing out to championship leader Broc Feeney in a grandstand finish.
Payne emerged second during a late Safety Car, caused by an engine failure for Erebus Motorsport rookie Cooper Murray.
The #19 Penrite Ford chased the #88 Red Bull Ampol Chevrolet home, with Feeney sealing the deal. Second was a smart return for Payne, though, given his struggles earlier in the race.
Payne plummeted down the order after a fuel churn issue at his first stop, and briefly dropped out of the top 10. It looked like Feeney would put even more breathing space between Payne in the championship, before the Safety Car enabled Payne and James Courtney to jump up the order.
Speaking on Supercars’ Cool Down Lap podcast, the Penrite Racing driver admitted he had settled on a 12th place finish before his lucky break.
“At the end of the day, we got lucky today. But that's strategy. It's what happens sometimes,” the New Zealander said.
“We didn't call for [the Safety Car], but I definitely knew that it was gonna save our race. When I saw the old car stop down at Turn 6, I was like, ‘whew, that's gonna be nice for us’.
“But was a really tough race for us. We obviously didn't have a great first pit stop, had to save a lot of fuel through that middle stint, and just lacked a lot of pace because of it.
“I had already consolidated 11th or 12th. That was basically our race. So, it's pretty crazy.”
Payne said he was forced to hit a fuel number in the middle stint, or risk a worse outcome, adding: “We had a bit to go, but just through that middle stint, we needed to hit a number that was pretty high.
“It was quite hard to keep the pace and hit that. That's why I dropped back quite a few spots. There was a few points where, if you don't hit the number, we're not gonna finish.
“It was either finish the race in 11th or something, or not finishing and having to do two pit stops.
“So, it was pretty challenging, but I think everyone managed it really well. Everyone stayed calm. Communication was really good. Apart from the little bummer and the pit stop, I think everyone did a really good job.”
Feeney had an answer to Payne’s advances in the final stint, with the duo racing away from the field.
“I think those guys had been so strong all weekend, it was gonna be difficult to put a move on,” Payne said when asked if he felt he had enough to get Feeney.
“I was definitely sticking with 'em pretty much the whole way there. I sort of felt like I was stronger in areas than he was. But those guys have been the benchmark, they had the fastest car pretty much, especially today and especially in qualifying.
“So I knew it was gonna be tough. I definitely didn't go down without fighting. Tried everything and I think second's still great for us.”
Payne is 123 points behind Feeney heading to Darwin on June 20-22.
