2026 Airtouch 500 at the Bend

The opening round of the 2026 Enduro Cup is complete, with Kai Allen & Tim Slade claiming second place at The Bend Motorsport Park.

Teammates Matt Payne and Will Davison brought the #19 Penrite Racing Ford Mustang home in sixth at the AirTouch 500, with the result seeing Payne re-take the lead of the Repco Supercars Championship heading into next month’s Repco Bathurst 1000.

After qualifying sixth on Saturday, Slade made a sensational start, emerging from a chaotic opening corner in the lead as rain made conditions tricky for even the most seasoned drivers in the field.

The experienced South Australian was one of the stars of the opening phase of the race, building his advantage out to as much as 17 seconds as the field battled torrential rain and standing water.

Slade handed the reins to Allen after an impressive 54 laps in the hot seat, where the Allen then kept the car firmly in contention as the circuit began to dry and drivers began the switch to slick tyres for the remainder of the race.

Allen and the entire Penrite Racing crew put in consistent laps and strong strategy calls throughout the latter half of the race, eventually settling into second – the result he would hold until the chequered flag fell after a time-certain finish shortened the race by a handful of laps. A strong podium finish for the South Australian pair highlighted a strong day and also secured Allen’s place in the 2026 Supercars Finals Series.

Meanwhile on the other side of the garage, Payne and Davison’s front row start turned sour even after after Davison started strongly to take the lead into turn one before being unceremoniously turned on the opening lap by fellow veteran Mark Winterbottom. That left Davison last and with a big recovery mission required to salvage a strong result – but the two-time Bathurst winner certainly rose to the occasion.

Davison mdae up 20 positions before handing the car to Payne. Unfortunately the timing of the stops and driver changes under safety car meant Davison was forced to wait in pit lane while the team serviced the #26 Penrite Mustang, leaving Payne in 18^th when the race was restarted once the rain eased.

Payne was certainly up for the challenge presented to him and powered into contention for a podium finish with a number of strong overtakes and impressive raw speed.

Unfortunately, the New Zealander was issued two separate penalties and, after crossing the line in fourth, ultimately would be demoted to sixth in the final standings for the day.

However, while he would no doubt have liked to have finished higher in the standings, there was plenty of good news for Payne – the 23-year-old leaving The Bend as the Repco Supercars Championship leader, holding a 120-point advantage heading into Bathurst, where he starts as the reigning race winner after his 2025 heroics.

With both cars finishing inside the top six at the AirTouch 500, Penrite Racing also extended its lead in the Teams’ Championship – now 259 points clear of their nearest rivals with four rounds remaining in 2026.

The 2026 Repco Supercars Championship now turns its attention to the biggest race of the year, the Repco Bathurst 1000, from 8-11 October.