Ojeda reacts to Payne clash, stewards explain penalty

Jayden Ojeda has no bad blood towards Matt Payne over the heavy hit that cost both drivers in Sunday’s AirTouch 500 at The Bend.

Payne clattered into Ojeda in the closing laps as they disputed fourth position. Payne was slapped with a five-second penalty over the incident, while Will Brown got past Ojeda.

Brown, Ojeda and Payne was reclassified in fourth, fifth and sixth.

The PremiAir Racing driver was happy to claim his best Supercars finish, and claimed Penrite Racing rival Payne’s actions weren’t on purpose.

“Obviously it wasn't intentional,” Ojeda said on the Equip Super Cool Down Lap podcast.

“I knew it would be hard for him to pass just with the circuit still being a little bit damp off line.

“I knew the tyre advantage he had, and I didn't want to make it too difficult, but I didn't want to give it to him on a plate as well.

“Obviously he just got a little bit loose on the inside there and just had me a bit of the wheel.

“It happens. It is what it is.”

In the Motorsport Australia stewards report, Payne was found to have made “avoidable contact” with Ojeda.

The report reads: “The Stewards reviewed broadcast vision and incar vision from Car 888 in conjunction with the DSA.

“The vision showed that when attempting to overtake Car 31 on the inside after the apex of Turn 3, Car 19, driven by Matt Payne, made contact with the right side of Car 31 unsettling Car 31 and pushing it towards the edge of the track. Following the contact, Car 19 overtook Car 31 and Car 888, which was following closely behind Car 19, also overtook Car 31.

“The Stewards determined that Car 19 gained an unfair advantage from the avoidable contact with Car 31 and imposed a 5 Second Time Penalty consistent with previous breaches of a similar nature.”

Payne reclaimed the championship lead from Broc Feeney, who finished 25th after a series of incidents for co-driver Nick Percat.