Supercars drivers have been left confused by a bizarre yellow flag incident after a crash on the first lap of racing in Christchurch on Friday.
In his 500th race, David Reynolds was taken out barely 50m after the start line in a collision with Macauley Jones and Cameron Hill.
The shunt spelled the end of Reynolds’ race, and there were safety car boards and flags waved at marshal points in the first sector, but no safety car appeared on track.
Pole sitter Matt Payne and Red Bull gun Broc Feeney were both impacted and lost places as they slowed down in the confusion.
Meanwhile, Ryan Wood, who ended up finishing third, said the incident could have caused even more chaos.
“It was real weird at the start, because as soon as we came out of turn one, there was safety car boards and flags,” he said. “I don’t know what happened there.
“That could’ve been a really, really bad accident if people weren’t aware.
“After seeing the race start, I understand why they were out, but at the same time I’m sure Motorsport Australia and Motorsport New Zealand will look into that.”
Second-placed Brodie Kostecki also called for officials to look into the incident.
“I didn’t hear anything, I just saw flags and double waved yellows and safety car boards and that’s obviously what we had to oblige to,” he said. “Apparently it wasn’t a safety car.
“We got back to another marshal post and there were no flags out, and we got back to racing again.
“It was a pretty awkward situation.
“We were probably pretty lucky we didn’t end up with cars getting damaged from an error there somewhere with the miscommunication.
“Motorsport Australia and Motorsport New Zealand do a great job, but mistakes do happen.
“I don’t know what happened, but I’m glad everyone seemed to get through unscathed.”
Feeney had a tough day in the first ever race in Christchurch, qualifying ninth and dropping to 12th after seeing the yellow flags.
“It was a bit of chaos at the start,” Feeney said. “We’ve come out of turn two and there was a Safety Car board and a yellow flag, and I was like, ‘Did I just see that?
“And then we headed down to the hairpin, and there was another Safety Car board and yellow flag.
“Anyway, I propped up and a few guys passed me, and then everyone stopped out of the hairpin.
“It’ll be interesting to see what happens, obviously it’s pretty disappointing.
“We’re racing at a high level and things slip up like that, but we’ll see what comes from it.”
HOW A ROOKIE STUNNED THE CHAMP IN SUPERCARS THRILLER
Kai Allen held on to claim a chaotic and carnage-filled first ever race in Christchurch, crossing the line ahead of a fast-finishing championship leader Brodie Kostecki for his debut Supercars victory.
In just his second season, the 20-year-old Penrite driver took advantage of an early pit-stop to undertake Kostecki, who spent the final 10 laps desperately chasing the youngster down while fending off a challenge from Ryan Wood.
The Mount Gambier local Allen, who first raced go-karts in South Australia as a kid, did brilliantly to keep his cool and preserve his older tyres as the vastly more experienced Kostecki hounded him all the way to the line, with Wood rounding out the podium.
“I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I can remember, since I was a little boy watching on TV,” said Allen, who celebrated trackside with his parents.
“To stand here with the number one in front of my car, it was coming, I just had to be patient.
“I know I’ve got the best team around me and the best guys, and hopefully we can have many more.”
Allen picked up a new nickname – “The Tyre Whisperer” – for the way he handled the closing stages of the race, but admitted Kostecki was a concern.
“With about five laps to go, I thought, ‘Here we go, Brodie’s coming, he’s got me’,” Allen said. “But I’ve done a lot of study on this track and it goes to show when you put the car in the right spot, it’s very hard for the car behind to pass.
“That’s why the undercut was so powerful. At a normal track, I would’ve been probably P4, but I fought hard and put the car in the right spot and here we are.”
Penrite’s first win of 2026 sees Allen become the 89th winner in Supercars history.
“It’s great, we took a chance with the young kid and he’s worked hard and come through,” Grove Racing owner Stephen Grove said. “I’m just so proud of him and so proud of the team.
“Kai needed that, so now you just watch out for Kai.”
Having set the fastest time in practise before blitzing qualifying to take pole, Allen’s teammate Matt Payne finished fourth after a slow start.
Payne was further impacted by a bizarre first-lap incident when David Reynolds crashed out barely 50 metres after the start line in his 500th race. Marshals waved a yellow flag, forcing the field to slow, but officials didn’t call it over race radio, leaving the field confused.
Kostecki’s finish sees him extend his lead atop the Championship ladder ahead of Broc Feeney, who had a tough afternoon.
Feeney crossed the line in 10th after starting ninth and will rue a sub-par pit stop.
Despite closing down a four-second gap to Allen, Kostecki said he wasn’t totally confident of catching him.
“I knew I was on struggle street five or six laps into the race,” he said. “But it’s awesome for Kai to get his first-up win.
“Super-stoked for him, but we’ve got a little bit of work to do on the Shell V-Power Ford Mustang.
“Kai did a fantastic job to put the car in all the right places and slowed me up and put me in the clutches of Woody and drove like a true pro.
“He’ll be one to watch very soon, so we’ll just have to keep our heads down.”
Meanwhile, Wood – who claimed Toyota’s first win of the season last weekend in Taupo – was frustrated after his third place.
“A little annoyed with that one, I felt like it was one that slipped through,” he said. “Great job to Kai and his team, he’s a ripper young dude.
“I’m just not good in spots where I need to be good to set up a move. We’ve got something to work on and improve on tomorrow and the rest of the weekend.”
Brendan BradfordContent producer