Matt Payne, Penrite Racing flattened by Ipswich heartbreak
Penrite Racing stumbles at final hurdle, gifting Sprint Cup to Triple Eight
Electrical issue puts Payne out of the race, as Broc Feeney wins
Matt Payne admits his DNF in the Ipswich finale “sucks,” as a shock failure gifted the Repco Sprint Cup to Broc Feeney and Red Bull Ampol Racing.
Payne entered Sunday 110 points clear of Feeney, and after the first round of stops, the Sprint Cup appeared set to end up at Penrite Racing.
Instead, Payne was forced out of contention with a suspected engine issue, which was later termed as an electrical issue. The Kiwi and his team could only watch on as Feeney won the race, and turned the 110-point deficit into a 30-point lead.
Payne and Chaz Mostert both failed to finish, with the latter also ruled out with a mechanical issue of his own.
“It sucks. We did everything right today,” Payne told the broadcast.
“It might not have been the easiest day behind the wheel, but I felt like even when we had a good start and passed Chaz, and was sitting in a nice window, and was just working our way into the five there.
“Next thing the motor just sounded like it was an electrical issue. Really gutted.
“I was looking forward to wrapping up the Sprint championship, but it is what it is."
Penrite Racing CEO Brenton Grove was also in disbelief, given his team had been near bulletproof on the reliability front.
"It’s not fun. This is something we all put a lot of time and effort into and Matt’s done a faultless job," Grove said.
"Our mechanical reliability is probably one of the best in the lane and unfortunately today something has gone wrong. We had no warning before it happened. We’ll lick our wounds and make sure we come back stronger."
Payne registered just his second DNF of the season, and first since Melbourne in March. On that day, contact and punctures ruled him out. On this occasion, there was nothing he could do.
However, the 23-year-old didn’t lose sight of the fact that his team remains one of beat, despite losing the drivers’ lead and watching the teams’ lead cut to 67 points.
“It sucks on the day, right? It sucks for the next few days, it sucks for the next couple of weeks, but I think everyone around here knows that we're in a really good spot at the moment. I for sure know that anyway,” Payne continued.
“I know that we've got our eyes forward for the enduros, and especially the Finals considering we've already locked our car in.
“So, yeah, just sucks, but I think everyone knows the true potential of the team, and hopefully we can come back out swinging.”
