ROUND 1 RECAP

Penrite Racing emerges as title challenger after strong opening round.

Penrite Racing has confirmed itself as a challenger for the Repco Supercars Championship title in 2025 with a strong opening round at Sydney Motorsport Park this weekend.

The speed and results are encouraging for the Penrite Racing squad after proving that they have a car capable of podium finishes.

In Friday night’s opening race, Payne set a stunning time in the first qualifying session of the year and would line up third on the grid.

The New Zealander looked set to score a podium result straight up but was hauled in and passed by fellow Ford driver Thomas Randle on the final lap of the 100km race.

Allen, making his first ‘official’ start as a full-time Supercars driver, qualified an outstanding 10th. The former Super2 champion unfortunately saw all his great work undone as the lights went out, dropping back to 18th on the first lap, eventually finishing 19th.

Saturday evening’s second race delivered one of the all-time great finishes, showcasing thrilling competition; however, it was a bittersweet experience for Penrite Racing, as the team’s performance had both standout moments and challenges.

Payne qualified a strong sixth and would go onto taking a strong fifth place, finishing within striking distance of the battling leaders. Allen qualified down the order and finishing 23^rd.

Sunday’s final 200km race was another heated affair that was almost turned on its head by rain in the last hour of the race. Payne qualified sixth and finished in the same position, solidifying himself as a challenger for a place in the new-for-2025 finals system.

For Allen, he started 13th and raced comfortably in the mid-pack for most of the race, having a stint of the fastest lap time on track. He finished where he qualified, marking a solid debut for the rookie racer.

After the first three races of the 34-race season, Payne sits in fifth while Allen is in 20^th in the Supercars Driver Championship.

The next round of the Repco Supercars Championship will be held at the Australian Grand Prix on March 13-16 where the drivers will compete in four races over one of the biggest weeks in motorsport.

QUOTES

Matt Payne (#19 Ford Mustang):

“We had a very consistent weekend with a fourth, fifth and a sixth. So, some really good points for us in the bag. We are in a solid position in the Championship. And we’re really looking forward to the next round at the AGP” Payne said.

Kai Allen (#26 Ford Mustang):

“It was quite entertaining to be honest. We started well but made a few mistakes in the first race and ended up 19th and 23rd on Saturday after a poor race, but I learned a lot, and that really helped me today” Allen said.

“Today, I ended up in 13th in qualifying and we tried some different stuff to get some speed at the end when it was wet and made my way back into 13th.”

“It was a really positive weekend for me – it’s my first one done so I’m super excited to press onto the AGP and take what I’ve learned this weekend and go through everything.”

“I have one of the best guys in the pit lane next to me teaching me what to do. So hopefully we can keep pushing and get some better results.”

David Cauchi, Team Principal:

“It was a pretty positive weekend for us. First qualifying of the year and we had both cars in the top 10, which was fantastic, especially for Kai in his first qualifying in the Supercars Championship” Cauchi said.

“Overall for the team, it was a fairly strong weekend. We definitely didn’t have the pace of a couple of the cars out the front, but there was a lot of learning and a lot of good things to build on for the rest of the year.”

“Some strong pitstops after guys and girls did a really good job, so I’m really looking forward to taking a breath and then going at it again at the AGP in a couple of weeks time.”