Penrite Racing records historic Bathurst 1000 victory in thrilling fashion
Matthew Payne and Garth Tander have scored a remarkable victory at Mount Panorama today, securing Penrite Racing’s first-ever Repco Bathurst 1000 victory in what was an
unforgettable race.
After six hours and 42 minutes of heart-stopping action, Payne crossed the line to score his maiden Bathurst 1000 win, while for Tander, it was his sixth win – putting him equal
with Mark Skaife on the all-time list.
In what was the perfect way to celebrate the beginning of Penrite’s 100th year celebrations, Payne and Tander drove from 18th on the grid to eventually cross the line first.
The sensational victory, which saw Payne and Tander make up a race-high 17 places throughout the heavily-interrupted 161-lap affair, also saw the pair claim the RYCO Enduro
Cup following their podium at The Bend last month.
Payne’s Enduro Cup success hands him a bonus 25 points heading into the inaugural finals that start at the Gold Coast street race in two weeks time.
On the other side of the garage, Kai Allen and Dale Wood produced a sensational run themselves to climb 13 positions as they overcame plenty of adversity during the race to
reach the chequered flag in eighth.
Despite being involved in the chaos where he was hit from behind on three occasions at Turn 1 and run off the road in each instance, Allen managed to remain within the top 10 for
most of the second half before some last-lap heroics saw him snatch eighth to secure a spot in the finals by just three points.
Both crews turned their fortunes on a super Sunday after a challenging lead-up to The Great Race, with Payne struggling to find pace on Friday’s qualifying session and enduring
an out-of-character session that had him well out of the top 10.
With Tander behind the wheel of the #100 Ford Mustang for the opening stint, the experienced veteran made an aggressive start that set the tone for the rest of the race,
making up four positions on the opening couple of laps.
When Payne got in the car after a strong opening stint from Tander, the Kiwi continued the momentum of his teammate and eventually had the car within the top 10 by lap 41.
Multiple safety cars during the middle stint of the race and rain threatened to derail their progress, however the duo charged their way up the order to move into the top three after
which they remained for much of the race.
Payne then battled hard for the outright lead in a thrilling conclusion as he exchanged the lead with Golding and Cooper Murray multiple times – Payne eventually taking advantage
of Golding’s penalty to get the win.
As for Allen and Wood, they were unable to make any significant progress in the first half of the race but some good strategy and strong stints helped them work their way up.
More than halfway into the race, Allen got hit from behind for the first time on lap 97 before it happened twice shortly after – the back of the #26 Ford Mustang having taken a beating
before Allen went off the track and sustained damage to the underbody.
Despite the multiple incidents, Allen pressed on securing a top 10 finish, locking in his position in the finals series.
The historic Supercars Finals season will begin at the Gold Coast 500 on 24-26 October in Surfers Paradise, Queensland.
- Race schedule
Race
results
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Race 27
Repco Supercars ChampionshipP1 M. Payne / G. Tander6:52:14.938P8 K. Allen / D. Wood6:52:37.007
- Circuit stats
The circuit
Originally constructed in 1938 as a scenic tourist drive, the Mount Panorama Circuit has hosted all types of motorsport including the world famous Repco Bathurst 1,000, the annual 12 Hour GT race, and has in the past the Australian Grand Prix, 24 Hour endurance races, and Easter motorcycle meetings. The circuit is a public road on a non-race weekends and remains one of the all-time favourite circuits of Supercars drivers, and is ranked among the great race tracks of the world.
Driver
commentary
Matt Payne
Driver profile“What a race. What a day. What a long hard race,” Payne said.
“The conditions were so sketchy, but we made a few good changes around the pitstops
and the car was pretty good towards the end, just so stoked for all the guys and girls at
Penrite Racing and everyone who’s put in so much hard work.
“This was definitely on our list of things to win and it’s pretty cool to be able to repay Grove Racing for their faith in me with the win.
“This win is certainly important. Especially after the Jason Richards Trophy. That was a
really big accomplishment for myself being a Kiwi, so that was pretty cool, but this has to
be the best feeling. I’m super stoked to do it with Garth as well. He’s, you know, a veteran of the sport and to get him his sixth is pretty special and also for him to be there for my first is cool, I wouldn’t have done it with anyone else.
“Penrite has put a lot of effort into celebrating their 100 years, so it’s pretty cool to repay
them with this. I know Toby (Dymond) is pretty stoked and he was here to watch it, so it’s
amazing. I’ve known them for a little bit and it’s cool to be a part of history for them and get their second back.”