Matthew Payne makes his Super2 debut this weekend as the young Kiwi continues his rise through the Supercars ranks.
Payne, who dominated this year’s Toyota Racing Series with essentially zero single-seater experience, has been claiming poles and winning races in the Australian Porsche Carrera Cup championship.
In September, he was picked up by the Grove Junior race team and cut his first laps in a V8 Supercar Nissan Altima.
Payne will campaign the Altima in this weekend’s Super2 return at Sydney Motorsport Park.
The Kiwi is part of an 18-car Super2 field this weekend.
He’ll go up against the likes of Tim Blanchard, Broc Feeney and Jaylyn Robotham in a pair of 18-lap races.
Super2 will combine with a sizable Super3 field to make for a 31-strong grid.
The weekend will be Payne’s first race meeting in a V8-powered touring car. Still, he’s proven several times how adept he is at adapting to new environments.
He’s been touted as a potential replacement for Andre Heimgartner at Grove Racing for next year’s Supercars championship.
However, nothing has been said by the team, and Payne will likely need dispensation to jump to the top-tier class.
Payne will return to racing in the Carrera Cup at Bathurst in December.