Matt Payne Claims Jason Richards Memorial Trophy with Memorable Taupo Weekend
Penrite Racing enjoyed a hugely successful weekend in New Zealand, as both Matthew Payne and Kai Allen recorded career-best results in the Repco Supercars Championship.
Hometown hero Payne led the charge on home turf, winning the prestigious Jason Richards Memorial Trophy with two victories and a fourth-place finish at the 2025 ITM Taupō Super 440.
Rookie Allen also impressed with a pair of top-10 finishes — his first in the ultra-competitive category.
It was an unforgettable weekend for the 22-year-old Payne, who proved too strong for the field and claimed the JR Trophy by 33 points over Chaz Mostert. He became just the fifth New Zealander to win a Supercars event on home soil.
Payne’s weekend began with a dominant pole position lap in Saturday morning’s Race 8 qualifying session, topping the timesheets by seven-hundredths of a second and breaking the lap record in the process.
In Race 8, an aggressive launch off the line set the tone as smart strategy and consistent pace helped Payne lead every lap and cross the finish line more than four seconds ahead of Cam Waters. He again broke the lap record en route to his third career victory.
Race 9 saw Payne start from P7 and pick up a five-second penalty for a false start. Despite the setback, he delivered a strong performance, executing several clean passes, including a decisive move on Broc Feeney on the final lap to finish fourth and remain in strong contention for round honours.
A chaotic opening lap in Race 10 worked in Payne’s favour, as he jumped from sixth to second before taking the lead from Cameron Hill on Lap 8 with a bold move at Turn 4. From there, he held his nerve and drove a commanding race to take the win by three seconds and seal the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy.
For Allen, Sunday brought a mix of highs and lows. A standout qualifying run earned him his first Top 10 Shootout appearance, where he improved to start seventh on the grid. However, he was caught in opening-lap chaos, was spun around, and dropped to the back of the field. He battled back across the 61-lap race to finish 18th.
Despite that setback, Allen’s weekend included two milestone performances. In Race 8, he gained 15 positions to finish seventh — his first top-10 finish. Just hours later in Race 9, he overcame a rough start that dropped him to 16th, methodically climbing back to 10th for his second consecutive top-10 result.
Following the Taupō round, Payne now sits third in the championship standings, with Allen rising to 16th. Penrite Racing moved up to fifth in the Teams Championship.
The 2025 Supercars Championship resumes next month with the Snowy River Caravans Tasmania Super 440 at Symmons Plains Raceway from 9–11 May.
QUOTES
Matt Payne
#19 Penrite Racing Driver
“What a weekend. Probably one of my best weekends in motorsport,” said Payne.
“To win the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy is unbelievable. Taking the win out here on Sunday was something really special. Two race wins. A pole position and now third in the championship …. It’s a dream come true.
“I can’t thank the team enough for everything they do. We are pushing in the right direction, so bring on Tassie in a few weeks.”
Kai Allen
#26 Penrite Racing Driver
“It’s a bit unfortunate that I got caught out there at the start of the last race,” said Allen.
“To get into my first top 10 shootout and score some top 10s, that was really cool. I was really happy with my lap in the shoot out, but it all went from positive to not so positive in the last race.
“But really, I’m super happy with the momentum that me and the team are building on. I think I had a big box ticked this weekend, and we’re going forwards which is the main thing.”
David Cauchi
Team Principal, Penrite Racing
“We had an awesome weekend here at Taupo. Matt has come home with the Jason Richards Trophy, which is a super special trophy in this category and one that we are really pleased to hold,” said Cauchi.
“And it’s even more special when a Kiwi wins it. So we’re super proud of Matt.
“Overall for the team, Kai had a strong weekend too. He made his first top 10 shootout and claimed some top 10 results too. The racing didn’t go his way on Sunday, but overall, we’re super happy.”
