![\"Payne](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Supercars-Christchurch-Saturday-136-copy.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGrove Racing’s Matt Payne during the ITM Christchurch Super440.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGrove Racing’s Matt Payne during the ITM Christchurch Super440.<\/p>\n
Payne pipped fellow front row starter Ryan Wood at the start and never looked back, establishing a healthy lead before the pit stops.<\/p>\n
He maintained that gap over the Walkinshaw TWG Racing Toyota Supra after the tyre changes to eventually establish a lead of more than 10 seconds.<\/p>\n
Wood\u2019s podium hopes faded late in the 37-lapper as his tyres wore. He conceded second place to Triple Eight Race Engineering\u2019s Broc Feeney inside the final 10 laps and then third place to hard charger James Golding, who equalled his best result with the Blanchard Racing Team.<\/p>\n
It ended a wretched run for Payne who lost out on a win from pole position on Friday and another shot at victory on Saturday morning after losing his right rear wheel.<\/p>\n
Payne\u2019s win ends a 12-race drought dating back to the 2025 Adelaide Grand Final.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a wheel go missing down the middle of the track a few hours ago. What a turnaround,\u201d said Payne.<\/p>\n
\u201cMan, our car has been so fast all day. We rolled out really strong and just being able to use it today and being able to finally get the win this afternoon has been so epic.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe guys and girls have done such a good job with it. We rolled out strong and I was so happy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought we were going to get there in the first race today but fortunately we did it in the second.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lights out for Race 12 in Christchurch!<\/p>\n
Follow the Race Live Feed here: https:\/\/t.co\/F4sYFUeJBV<\/a> #RepcoSC<\/a> #Supercars<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/bHl1bxelNx<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Supercars (@supercars) April 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n From the cleaner side of the road, Payne got the jump on Wood and took the lead into Turn 1. It was a relatively clean start deep in the field, save for Aaron Cameron who banged doors with champion Chaz Mostert over 13th.<\/p>\n At the end of Lap 1, it was Payne who led Wood and Broc Feeney, who made up three places at the start.<\/p>\n Brodie Kostecki dropped one spot to fourth while Golding made up two places to fifth. The top 10 was completed by Kai Allen, Anton De Pasquale, Jack Le Brocq, Cameron Waters, and Rylan Gray.<\/p>\n The biggest loser on Lap 1 was PremiAir Racing\u2019s Jayden Ojeda, who dropped six places to 16th. By Lap 2, Aaron Cameron was down six places to 14th.<\/p>\n The biggest improver, meanwhile, was Erebus Motorsports\u2019 Cooper Murray who gained six spots to 12th.<\/p>\n At the head of the field, Payne began to stretch his legs and by the time Wood pitted out of second, his lead was out to five seconds.<\/p>\n Anton De Pasquale was the first to pit on Lap 12 for rears from seventh. Kostecki and Allen pitted a lap later \u2013 Kostecki for rears, and all four for Allen.<\/p>\n A disastrous pit stop mistake for Kai Allen!!<\/p>\n Follow the Race Live Feed here: https:\/\/t.co\/mDWXIwVKoZ<\/a> #RepcoSC<\/a> #Supercars<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/dMy1rpV8zh<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Supercars (@supercars) April 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n It was an agonisingly slow pit stop for Allen, whose pit stop took eight seconds longer than Kostecki\u2019s.<\/p>\n Cooper Murray got turned into a spin at Turn 4 when Aaron Cameron drove into the side of the Erebus Motorsport Camaro. Cameron was duly given a 15-second time penalty and wound up finishing 21st while Murray was 18th.<\/p>\n Wood pitted on Lap 16 returned just a car length ahead of Feeney.<\/p>\n Will Brown, who started 16th, suffered a slow stop on the left rear when the pneumatic gun failed and force his pit crew to a back-up.<\/p>\n Come Lap 20, Payne pitted from the lead for rear tyres. Once he returned to the lead, his gap to Wood came down to 3.6 seconds.<\/p>\n Once the pit stops were completed, it was Payne from Wood, Feeney, Kostecki, and De Pasquale. Golding was sixth on four new tyres from Allen, Le Brocq, Waters, and Mostert.<\/p>\n On Lap 25, Wood relinquished second place to Feeney with a forceful pass at Carousel.<\/p>\n Track goes this way, fellas \u2b05\ufe0f<\/p>\n Follow the Race Live Feed here: https:\/\/t.co\/mDWXIwVKoZ<\/a> #RepcoSC<\/a> #Supercars<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/rwRUCVKKFR<\/a><\/p>\n