Just like in 2022, a rookie has taken their maiden win on the streets of Adelaide as Penrite Racing’s Matt Payne greeted the chequered flag in the final race of the season.
Payne dominated the final event of the season to take an 8.548s victory from Red Bull Ampol Racing’s Broc Feeney and David Reynolds completed a near-perfect farewell for Penrite Racing.
After winning the start into the Senna Chicane, Payne was never headed as champion-elect Brodie Kostecki didn’t have an answer and dropped back when his strategy fell away during the middle stint.
NASCAR-bound Shane van Gisbergen didn’t have a fairy tale ending as he retired due to problems linked to tyre build up.
This effectively gave Erebus Motorsport the Teams’ Championship as well, with Kostecki’s eighth and Brown’s 14th sealing the deal.
The race winner from yesterday was fourth as Cam Waters gave the Monster Energy Racing crew solid momentum into 2024, leading R&J Batteries driver Andre Heimgartner and Shell V-Power Racing Team‘s Anton De Pasquale rounding out the top five.
Van Gisbergen rose from 15th to 11th and inside the top 10 before he pitted multiple times after he believed there was a loose wheel on his Red Bull Ampol Racing Camaro. It was garaged soon after.
Jack Le Brocq didn’t enjoy his final race for Truck Assist Racing as a tangle from the driver replacing him in the form of Nick Percat at the final turn resulted in the Camaro hitting the tyre wall.
Chaz Mostert and Feeney vigorously battled through the stair case resulting in the Red Bull Ampol Racing driver taking fourth, but this was reversed at Turn 7 after contact from the Mobil 1 Optus Racing Mustang resulting in a 5s penalty.
A further penalty was handed out to James Golding after he made contact in pit lane with the Pizza Hut Racing Camaro of Macauley Jones spinning the Brad Jones Racing entry towards the Truck Assist Racing garage.
Van Gisbergen returned to the track after being the first to pit where he soon engaged in a battle with Thomas Randle, but it went sour for the latter after he attempted a pass on the outside leading to contact and bent steering.
Waters struggled in the opening stint, but came back to be fourth by the end of the next pit stop in what was a superb charge.
Kostecki launched a late attack on Heimgartner, but this resulted in him dropping to eighth after locking up his brakes approaching Turn 9. The attacks didn’t stop as Mostert launched one on the New Zealander and this proved successful, although there was a heart stopping moment at Turn 8.
However, it was Payne’s day as Feeney, Reynolds, Waters and Mostert rounded out the top five, with Heimgartner, De Pasquale, Kostecki, Will Davison and Randle completed the 10.
Declan Fraser was the other non-counted entry due to a power steering failure.
Bathurst will open the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship on February 16-25 combined with the 12 Hour.