'It feels like a failure': Payne livid as golden chance slips
Matt Payne livid after finishing second in Race 5
Kiwi led early from pole, but finished second to Brodie Kostecki
Reigning Bathurst champion admitted result felt like a 'failure'
You wouldn't have guessed Matt Payne had extended his championship lead in Race 5 at the Melbourne SuperSprint.
As the #19 Penrite Ford pulled up into victory lane, it was an animated Payne who climbed out of his car, visibly frustrated that his first win of the season had slipped through his grasp.
It's a side to the largely unflappable Kiwi that has rarely been seen before.
Yet, despite extending his championship lead by 24 points over Broc Feeney, who was one of many drivers in the thick of the action during a wild race, the defending Bathurst winner knew he had the opportunity to get his first win for the year on the board.
Payne got a perfect start from pole position, and looked as though he would be unchallenged for the win in the early laps, however fellow front row starter Brodie Kostecki began to close after a few laps.
The Shell V-Power Ford was right on the rear bumper of Payne starting Lap 5, and launched a move down the inside at Turn 11, to which the #19 Ford offered little resistance.
Instead, he couldn't do anything about the 2023 champion, who fended off a late charge from the Kiwi to extend his advantage in the Larry Perkins Trophy standings this weekend.
Even with time to reflect before the post-race press conference, the defending Jason Richards Memorial Trophy winner struggled to hide his emotions.
"I think any driver would be as disappointed as I am," said a frustrated Payne post-race.
"When you start first and you finish second, it feels like a failure.
"It's obviously still good points, I felt like we just didn't quite maximise the changes we needed to make from yesterday.
"We were just a little bit out of the window at the start.
"Yeah, I'm disappointed, but we still learnt a lot in the process, and we'll tune her up for tomorrow."
The Kiwi gets three shots at redemption tomorrow, beginning with back-to-back Boost Mobile Qualifying sessions at 9:00am and 9:22am, before Race 6 of the 2026 Repco Supercars Championship begins at 5:40pm local time.
