Why Payne considers JR Trophy 'holy grail' for Kiwis in Supercars

Matt Payne has nearly ticked every box in Supercars, having won Bathurst, Adelaide (twice) and the Jason Richards Trophy.

It’s the latter that the proud young Kiwi holds dear, so much so that Payne considers it the “holy grail” for New Zealand-born Supercars drivers.

The Penrite Racing driver won twice in Taupō 12 months ago and, with it, took out the trophy named after the late, great Richards, who passed away in 2011.

Payne joined Shane van Gisbergen (2016, 2019, 2022) and Scott McLaughlin (2018) as Kiwi winners of the trophy, and is keen on joining van Gisbergen and Jamie Whincup as the only multiple winners.

Winning a trophy that bears the name of a New Zealand legend carries great significance for all drivers, but it clearly carries extra meaning to Kiwis.

The typically unflappable van Gisbergen was in tears after his 2019 and 2022 wins, while McLaughlin celebrated by climbing the catch fence at Pukekohe.

It brought out emotions from Payne, who got onto the roof of his Penrite Mustang and fist-pumped towards the sky.

“Winning the JR Trophy was probably the greatest achievement I'd had at that point,” Payne said in a feature sit-down with countryman Ryan Wood.

"JR was a huge guy, a lot of respect for him and what he did. He was a great driver and it's a very unfortunate situation that surrounded his life.

"But it's great that they’ve memorialised him in a trophy, it’s probably like the second biggest thing to win. It’s the holy grail for us really.

"To finally have that in your hands when you are standing there on Sunday was pretty surreal. I'm just glad I got chosen that time."

In the months after winning the JR Trophy, Payne secured victory in a thrilling Great Race.

Perhaps it’s no coincidence that Payne (2025) and van Gisbergen (2022) are the only drivers to win the Peter Brock Trophy and the Jason Richards Trophy in the same season.

Auckland-born Payne is bracing for a hero’s welcome when the ITM NZ Double Header gets underway next week, with Walkinshaw TWG Racing’s Wood and Brad Jones Racing’s Andre Heimgartner also aiming to claim hometown honours.

“The Bathurst ordeal, that was something that I'll remember forever and it’s the greatest thing I've ever achieved,” Payne said.

“Going home, there's a lot of fans, there's a lot of people that watch that race in New Zealand and only that race, the support is pretty cool.

"So yeah, I feel pretty special going back home with those achievements"

From 2026, the driver with the highest point score across the Taupō and Christchurch rounds will be awarded the Jason Richards Trophy.