Further success for Payne vaults him up to third in the table

Matt Payne took advantage of Grove Racing’s speed and some messy racing from the opposition to take his second Supercars win of the weekend at New Zealand’s Taupo Motorsport Park.

Payne emerged from an opening lap skirmish to take the lead and drove to a conventional pit strategy to take his fourth Supercars race win by 3.19 seconds.

In doing so, Payne secured the Jason Richards Memorial trophy, named for the popular NZ-born driver who was taken by cancer in December 2011.

“It’s pretty special, I’m lost for words, really,” said Payne, 22.

“I managed to get the lead early on, I knew I had to do that. I think we took a bit of a step backwards [in qualifying] but we worked hard for those couple of hours and it worked.”

Podium: Race winner Matthew Payne, Grove Racing Ford Mustang GT, second place Cameron Hill, Matt Stone Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, third place Chaz Mostert, Walkinshaw Andretti United Ford Mustang GT

Photo by: Edge Photographics

Second was a strong result for Matt Stone Racing’s Cam Hill, whose Chevrolet Camaro actually took the lead (from fourth on the grid) on the opening lap when Anton de Pasquale ran wide at the opening corner in the Team 18 Chevrolet, and then again after the Fords of polesitter Brodie Kostecki (Dick Johnson Racing) and Ryan Wood (Walkinshaw Andretti United) indulged in some panel rubbing.

For the second time in 24 hours, Kostecki had to nurse his Mustang to the flag after suffering damage from contact, dropping him from third to fourth, losing that place to his Saturday nemesis, Chaz Mostert (WAU).

It was a tough Sunday for Triple 8 Racing. Will Brown started 12th and, when stuck in traffic, took the opportunity to make an early stop on lap 12. On a clear track, he made the subsequent undercut work, making his way to eighth at the flag.

Even worse off prior to the race was team-mate Broc Feeney. He was all at sea in qualifying and started from 20th, the car looking evil on the patchwork track surface. But he surged through the pack in the race, nearly taking sixth from Andre Heimgartner (Brad Jones Racing) on the last of the 61 laps.

Likewise Tickford Racing’s Cam Waters made strides from a lowly 18th grid spot until delayed by a stubborn front-left wheel at his second stop. He soldiered on to finish 12th at the end of the race.

As a result, Brown leaves New Zealand with an extended points lead, on 651 to Waters on 617. Payne vaults to third on 605 ahead of Feeney.

The Supercars now set sail on the return leg to Australia, to race at Symmons Plains in Tasmania on 9-11 May.