It was a busy, yet successful, weekend for Matt Payne, who claimed third in Dunlop Super2 before partnering with Lee Holdsworth to take sixth in the Bathurst 1000.
Starting out on Friday for Grove Racing in Super2, Payne was immediately on the front foot, setting the fourth fastest time in qualifying.
The conditions saw the first of two races start under safety car conditions, eventually getting underway on Lap 3. Payne was on the tail of Cameron Hill throughout early proceedings, finally catching his man and passing at Griffins in the mid-stages of the 18-lap race.
Right as he stuck the overtake, Angelo Mouzouris, who had just passed championship leader Declan Fraser for fifth, became a victim of the conditions and ran into trouble at the same corner.
His car, wedged under the tyre-barrier, required retrieval and saw barrier repair required.
The race never resumed, finishing under safety car conditions after only just 11 laps due to time constraints. Zak Best was crowned winner with Tyler Everingham a solid second, Payne rounding out the podium.
Saturday’s weather brought about more of the same, although qualifying took place on a dry morning with surface water remaining in places. Payne qualified second fastest, only eclipsed by .211 of a second behind Everingham.
It should have been a front row start for the Kiwi, however a torrential downpour early on Saturday afternoon saw Race 2 abandoned with the cars not taking the track.
This meant the Race 1 results decided the round, Best and Payne both closing the gap to Fraser in the championship standings in second and third respectively.
The conditions on Saturday, however, did play into the hands of Lee Holdsworth, who had qualified on the front row in Friday’s qualifying session. The abandonment of the Top 10 Shootout saw the 500-race veteran start on the front row alongside James Moffat, the co-driver for Cam Waters.
Holdsworth was the better starter and led early proceedings of the Bathurst 1000.
After a chaotic opening few laps, Payne took over driving duties on Lap 17 under caution. He ran a clean stint, only dropping positions to full-time Supercars contenders including Brodie Kostecki, Shane van Gisbergen, Cam Waters and Chaz Mostert. Several of these passes also only came about with pit strategy.
Holdsworth took over late to see the event through to the chequered flag. He did manage to reach as high as fifth in the closing stages, however Broc Feeney took that place back later on.
Sixth place in his maiden Bathurst 1000 not a bad result for Payne, however, himself and Holdsworth racing a relatively clean, drama-free race contrasting the chaos around them.
He took to Facebook following the result.
What an awesome weekend at the mountain,” the post said.
“Awesome for the Penrite Racing Team to be rewarded for all their efforts securing a well deserved P6 at Bathurst. I am honoured to have played a part in the result!
“Massive thanks to Stephen and Brenton Grove for the opportunity to co-drive with Lee Holdsworth in the Number 10 Penrite Racing Mustang
“We also raced Super 2 and came away with P3 for the weekend. Thanks to the Super 2 team it’s always fun working with you guys and girls.”
Payne will next be back in action in Super2 over the weekend of 28-30 October as the series hit the streets at the Gold Coast 500. A strong race in that will see Payne remain in contention for the Super2 title in his debut season, before the series heads to Adelaide for the final round in early December.
Before then, however, he heads to Portimao, where he will compete in the final round of the European Le Mans Series in a Ferrari GTE.
From here, Payne will make the step up to Supercars next year, a full-time drive with Grove Racing on the cards.
Not bad for a 20-year-old.
