Matt Payne has one hand on Repco Sprint Cup heading to Ipswich
Kiwi leads Broc Feeney by 118 points, 315 available in Sprint Cup finale
Reigning Bathurst champion showing no signs of scoreboard pressure
If there was any pressure on Matt Payne and Penrite Racing with one hand on the Repco Sprint Cup, you wouldn't know it heading into the final round.
The reigning Bathurst champions have been the class of the field throughout the sprint segment of the season, and enter the final three races with a 118 points buffer over Red Bull Ampol Racing's Broc Feeney, with 315 available.
Barring a major disaster, it seems more than likely that the 23-year-old Aucklander will be the first driver to qualify for the Finals, claiming a Golden Ticket and 25 bonus points to take the Finals opener on the Gold Coast.
However, Ipswich was a tricky round for Payne last year, recording finishes of 12th, sixth, and fourth. Feeney swept all three pole positions, and was only denied a clean sweep by a jump start in the second race of the weekend, and has declared Payne can be beaten this weekend.
Despite that, Payne is his usual unflappable self, amid a rich vein of form that has seen him finish no worse than fourth in the last 11 races.
“I’m feeling really good, we’ve been on a nice run so far, so it’s been nice to try and keep that momentum going," Payne said.
“This wasn’t a track that was probably so kind to me last year, so we’re going to have to step it up and try and give it to the Red Bull cars.
“It’s going to be interesting to see how they roll out as well, but I'm feeling really good and just looking forward to getting out on track.”
A staple of Penrite's 2026 season has been their ruthless consistency across both Payne and Kai Allen, who has won two races this season.
Amidst a stuttering period for Red Bull Ampol Racing, Penrite have opened up a 258-point lead over the Ford homologation squad.
That has been boosted by major form reversals at circuits like Tasmania, where the team struggled for outright speed in 2025.
“It’s always tough not knowing how you’re going to go with not having prior success," Payne continued.
“Even tracks like Perth or Tasmania, they have proved that we’ve come a long way in the last 12 months.
“I think it’s going to be a real test for us this weekend to see how we can roll out, and see if we can score some good results.”
Payne has claimed 16 podiums in the 25 races held this season, a phenomenal conversion rate of 64%. This has been highlighted by five wins, equalling his full-season tally from last year's breakout campaign.
With the Repco Sprint Cup now within arm's reach, Payne is all too aware that he just needs to focus on hitting his marks, adding: “Obviously there’s an opportunity for us to take that out this weekend, which is great to have done all the work to put ourselves in a good spot.
“For us, it’s business as usual. We’re just going to try and score some race wins, that’s what we’ve been focussing on.
“We’ll try and roll out with a good car, and then tune it throughout practice, I think that’s where we’ve been strong as well. All systems as usual, and we’ll see what we can do come Sunday.”
On-track action in Ipswich begins on Friday.
