Matt Payne reveals silver linings amid penalties
Payne retook drivers' lead, Penrite extended teams' lead at The Bend
Payne aiming to defend Bathurst crown next month
Reclaiming the drivers’ points lead and extending Penrite Racing’s teams’ championship lead took the edge off an otherwise rotten Ryco Enduro Cup opener for Matt Payne.
Payne regained the championship lead from Triple Eight rival Broc Feeney, who finished 23rd at The Bend after co-driver Nick Percat was hit in the opening hour.
Kai Allen and Tim Slade spared Penrite Racing’s blushes with a superb second on a day dominated by Toyota, with the Payne/Will Davison Ford turned around at the first corner of the race.
Davison fought back through, only for Payne to be penalised for a clash with Cam Waters (15 seconds) and Jayden Ojeda (five seconds).
Sixth was a solid result, but Payne felt he could have joined his teammates on the podium. However, turning a 30-point deficit into a 120-point lead over Feeney was a big outcome, as was Penrite extending its lead from 67 to 259 points.
"One word to describe it would be ‘madness,” Payne said of the race.
"Davo, got a great start, then was spun around at Turn 1 and was 26th, before he got it back up to sixth and then we got a bit stuck with the double stacking under Safety Car.
"So when I got in the car we were sitting 18th and then after a few penalties and everything ended up sixth. I think we probably could have made the podium, just minus a couple of mistakes.
"It was a great day for us in the teams’ championship points standings, and also for myself in the championship regaining the lead heading in to Bathurst, which is great.”
Team boss Stephen Grove was also satisfied, saying: "To finish where we did is outstanding and a tribute to a good job by the whole team.
"Matt Payne is now back in the lead of the drivers’ championship, with Kai Allen in third, and we’re still in garage one as the teams’ championship leaders.
“It was a good day because the conditions were extraordinarily tough, and our co-drivers Will Davison and Tim Slade had to do big stints in tough conditions.
“A lot of things went right, and a few went wrong, but you expect that on a day like this one. We know our cars are fast, we’ve got a very good team with four strong drivers, and I think we’ll be in the mix when we get to Bathurst.”
Track action in Bathurst commences on Thursday October 8.
