Payne podium caps off Perth visit in style

Penrite Racing has finished up a solid outing at  Carco.com.au  Raceway on a high as Matt Payne capped off the Perth Super 440 with a well-deserved podium finish.

Crossing the line behind Broc Feeney in second place following an electrifying climax, Payne’s runner-up finish in Sunday’s long race came as a result of some good fortune and smart strategy.

Teammate Kai Allen also had a memorable Sunday outing as the rising star climbed a race-high 14 places to score an impressive P8 after starting from P22.

Throughout the whole weekend, Payne showcased plenty of pace behind the wheel of the Penrite Racing Ford Mustang, as he finished Friday afternoon’s Practice Session on top of the timesheets, having jumped 15 places from the earlier session.

Payne then continued his momentum on Saturday morning during the double Qualifying session to post two top five results – a fifth for Race 14 and fourth for Race 15, which set him up nicely for the day’s two outings.

Having had a complicated Friday, Allen also made massive improvements on Saturday morning after a challenging Friday practice run to secure two top 10 placings in Qualifying with P8 and P7 respectively.

Unfortunately, each driver lost positions in Saturday’s two races despite showing lots of promise throughout the day – Payne racking up a sixth and a fifth-place finish, while Allen just missed out on the top 10 in both races to finish the day with a pair of P11s.

Sunday morning’s first Qualifying session saw the pair experience contrasting results as Payne comfortably made it through to both Q1 and Q2 and in the Top 10 Shootout, while an unfortunate Allen was knocked out during the first session as a result of being stuck in traffic.

Payne then just missed out on a front row start by less than one tenth of a second as he settled for fourth during the Shootout.

When the race eventually got underway, both drivers made up positions early with Payne’s fast start slotting him into third and Allen’s opening helping him make up four positions.

Payne then attempted the undercut for his first stop, but some issues in his stop meant he didn’t refuel properly, which could have had a severe impact on his race had there not been a late safety car intervention.

As for Allen, the youngster was the last in the field to take his first stop in a move that paid dividends as he gained more positions as a result of pitting late.

Payne then followed suit by going late on his second stop and reaped the benefits as he was able to take it under the safety car, which brought him back out in second place behind only Feeney.

Once the race resumed, Payne tried his best to get the better of Feeney and recreate his heroics from Tasmania, however he was unable to do so and settled for a highly impressive second place.

Allen, on the other hand, continued his charge up the order, taking advantage of the chaos around him to end the day in eighth and with a solid amount of points.

The results sees Payne remain in third place on the Championship standings, while Penrite Racing has moved up to third place on the Teams Standings at the expense of Walkinshaw Andretti United.

Payne, Allen and the whole Penrite Racing outfit will be back in action in less than two weeks as the Repco Supercars Championship holds its popular Darwin Triple Crown at Hidden Valley Raceway on 20–22 June.

QUOTES

Matt Payne
#19 Penrite Racing Driver

“We started fourth today and I was saving fuel for ages. We didn’t quite get enough fuel in the first half, so I was saving heaps – we were probably going to finish outside the top ten,” Payne said.

“There was the safety car pit stop and we somehow got out in second and finished there. The rest of the weekend obviously was pretty good with a fifth and a sixth, and we banked really solid points.

“Kai also had an absolutely awesome race to come through the field.”

Kai Allen
#26 Penrite Racing Driver

“It was a very messy qualifying starting 22nd this morning but we just put that behind us. We trucked on as a team and had a really good strategy. The car was mega in that first stint. I think I did 42 laps or something, which was absolutely brutal,” Allen said.

“I was super strong at the end of that first stint, which really set my race up. Unfortunately, I did one more lap before I pitted for the second stop, and I could have been in the same boat as Matty to come out third.

“So it could have been an even stronger result, but overall I’m super stoked to climb from 22nd to eighth and to have  two cars in the top ten, as well as some really strong points.

“To get to 11th yesterday and an eighth today is great and we just keep building from there. As a team we’re working super hard and it’s finally paying off. I can’t wait for Darwin in a couple of weeks.”