Matt Payne dominated Q1 and Q2 for Race 8 at Taupō International Motorsport Park, piloting the Grove Racing #19 Ford Mustang to the top of the timesheets.
He edged out fellow Ford racer Brodie Kostecki, who was second quickest in the Dick Johnson Racing #38 Mustang.
Payne laid down a scorching 1:25.7084 in the first session and followed it up with a near-identical 1:25.7006 in Q2. So confident was the Kiwi that he stepped out of the car with over two minutes left on the clock in the final session and watched the rest of the session in the Grove Racing garage.
Ryan Wood slotted into fourth, followed by Will Davison (Dick Johnson Racing), Chaz Mostert (Walkinshaw Andretti United), Anton De Pasquale (Team 18), and Erebus Motorsport teammates Cooper Murray and Jack Le Brocq. Rounding out the top 10 was Cameron Hill of Matt Stone Racing.
In a surprising twist, both Triple Eight drivers—Broc Feeney and Will Brown—missed the cut for the top 10, finishing 11th and 13th, respectively. Brad Jones Racing also endured a tough session, with none of its four entries breaking into the top group.
Feeney pointed to struggles in the opening sector as the root of his time loss:
“To be honest, it’s the first sector. We’re giving up about four-tenths to the leaders there. The rest of the lap isn’t bad—we’re not the quickest car, but it’s close. I just can’t get through those first few corners cleanly.”
He also acknowledged that the team hasn’t been able to recapture the performance they had at the circuit last year.
“The car’s really tricky to drive here. The track has a lot of different surfaces, and the smallest mistake can cost you massively. Turn 2 has been particularly tough—I keep losing the rear there. If we can fix that, we might be back in the mix. Honestly, missing out by just a hundredth, I’m surprised we’re not further back.” said Feeney.
Reflecting on his effort, Payne was clearly pleased:
“It was a solid run—both sessions were pretty much identical in terms of lap time. It’s awesome to grab pole here again after doing it last year. Definitely a special feeling.” said Payne.
Between the two sessions, there were a few shifts in the order. Kostecki held steady in second, while Tickford Racing’s Cameron Waters jumped from seventh to third towards the end of the session. Only five-tenths of a second covered the Top 10.
Race 9 Qualifying –
Will Davison set the benchmark in the opening qualifying session for Race 9, clocking a fastest lap of 1:26.252. He was followed by Kostecki, Payne, Randle, and Brown. Also advancing to Q2 were Waters, Allen, Feeney, Mostert, and De Pasquale, completing the Top 10.
Kiwi drivers narrowly missed the cut, with Heimgartner finishing 11th, just ahead of Wood in 12th and Stanaway in 13th. Evans rounded out the Kiwi contingent in 19th position.
This session marked a notable shift. The super soft tyre compound was used for this qualifying session, offering less grip than the soft tyres used in Race 8 qualifying, resulting in lap times around six-tenths of a second slower.
In Q2, Kostecki delivered a standout performance to claim his first pole position with Dick Johnson Racing and the 14th of his career. His 1:26.348 lap placed him ahead of Mostert and Feeney. Davison and Brown completed the Top 5.
“Yeah, I’m stoked with that one. It wasn’t the cleanest lap at the end. I’m stoked for the whole team. I got a couple of good grid spots today, so I look forward to trying to capitalize on those.
“Yeah, I’ve struggled a little bit this year with the new tyre, but as soon as we went back on the old tyre, it felt right back at home again. I still need to do a bit of adjusting going to that new tyre, but, oh boy, these cars are pretty ugly on that super soft; they’re set up for the other tyres. I think there is going to be a lot of degradation on that tyre, so it should be very exciting [going into the races this afternoon],” said Kostecki
Payne was the fastest of the Kiwi drivers in Q2, securing seventh place behind Waters and ahead of Grove Racing teammate Kai Allen. De Pasquale and Randle rounded out the Top 10 for Race 9, which is scheduled for later this afternoon.
Header Image: Jessica Barnes / Blissful Photography
