Penrite Racing has confirmed that reigning Super2 Champion Kai Allen will partner Matt Payne for the 2025 Supercars season, replacing the departing Richie Stanaway.
The 19-year-old will run with the number 26 for his debut campaign.
“It’s pretty surreal! I’ve been racing since I was eight years old, maybe even younger, so I’m super grateful to finally be in a position that I’ve worked towards my whole life,” Allen said.
“It still hasn’t sunk in, but I’m sure come Round 1 next year, that will all change. I can’t thank Stephen and Brenton enough for the opportunity. I feel like I’m joining a team that’s really on the way up, and there are some really great personnel on the team with so much experience.
“David Cauchi, Shippy [Grant McPherson], Garth [Tander], who are all massive names in this sport. My goal for the rest of this year is to tick Super2 off. That’s really important.
“It will also be valuable to do Sandown and Bathurst in the Gen3 car, just so I can be as comfortable as possible with that style of car before I join the team. Ultimately, I’m here to learn as much as possible.
“Matt’s a really talented driver, so I’ll be doing my best to keep the team up the front and absorb as much as possible from him.
“Driving Car 26 is pretty surreal, too! It’s a number that I’ve raced with since karting, so I guess it’s meant to be.”
Allen, from Mount Gambier in South Australia, is a two-time Australian National Kart Champion, winning in the Cadet 12 class in 2016 and KA2 in 2018.
He took two podiums in his rookie Toyota 86 Championship season in 2021 before he was narrowly pipped for the Super3 title with Eggleston Motorsport in 2021, where he won six of 11 races and started on pole every outing.
He won the Super2 title in his rookie season in 2023 and is on track to become the first-ever back-to-back winner this year, currently holding a 114-point advantage over the field.
Allen partnered with Simona De Silvestro in a wildcard entry fielded by DJR in the 2023 Bathurst 1000, where the duo finished 20th.
He returns to Shell V-Power Racing for this season’s enduros, partnering Will Davison in the #17 Mustang.
Allen and Payne’s partnership at Grove Racing represents the youngest driver pairing in Supercars in nearly twenty years.
Header Image: Supercars
