Navigating the twists and turns of the Australian Grand Prix

The twists and turns of racing made for an action-packed day for Penrite Racing at the Australian Grand Prix. With two qualifying sessions and Race 5 of the Repco Supercars Championship, the team was kept busy on the track.

The highlight of the day came early as Matt Payne secured his debut pole position, marking a significant milestone in his Supercars journey. Reflecting on this achievement, Payne expressed his excitement, stating, “Securing my first pole position feels fantastic. These past few days at the AGP have been incredible, and I’m eager to carry this momentum into the next two races. A massive shoutout to the team for their hard work—we’re just getting started.”

Adding to the team’s success, Richie Stanaway delivered a solid performance, securing P9 in Race 5. In the subsequent qualifying session for Race 6, Matt Payne continued his strong showing by claiming the second position on the grid, while Stanaway faced a minor setback, slipping to P14.

Unfortunately, the excitement of Race 5 was met by a dramatic incident involving Payne and Cam Waters. The two drivers collided heading into the final corner on lap 2 at Albert Park, resulting in a crash that forced both Ford drivers out of the race.

Reflecting on the incident, Payne commented, “Obviously didn’t quite get the start I said I was gonna get,” as he was jumped off the line by Waters before retaking the lead just before the crash. “Just trying to race pretty fairly, I thought, didn’t really think there was any need to hit me off in the second to last corner, to be honest with you.”

“So it’s unfortunate. Like, we were in a really good position, obviously to win the race. So yeah, it’s disappointing. But yeah, that’s what it is. You’re always going to have races like this where it’s unfortunate you have an incident.” Payne remains optimistic, highlighting the team’s unity and momentum. “The whole team is rallying behind each other, and there’s a fantastic momentum building, especially with the pole position and starting second tomorrow. It’s a positive for us.”

Despite the minor setback faced during the day, Penrite Racing remains set on capitalising on the momentum built over the past few days, holding firm in their second position in the team championship standings. The final race of the Australian Grand Prix is set for 10:25 am tomorrow, Sunday, March 24th. Tune in to witness Matt Payne starting from P2 and Richie Stanaway from P14.