'Stuff going on everywhere': Allen shocked by 'unreal' charge

Whilst Matt Payne controlled Race 8 of the Repco Supercars Championship from the front, further back in the pack it was rookie teammate Kai Allen who turned heads at the ITM Taupō Super 440.

Starting 22nd on the grid after making a mistake on his push lap in qualifying, the 2023 Super2 champion put on a brilliant display of aggression throughout the 37-lap opener.

In a wild affair that saw several big names caught up in incidents or penalised, Allen stayed clear of trouble to finish ninth on road, before being promoted to seventh following penalties for Brodie Kostecki and Cameron Hill.

Adding to the unbelievable performance, it was Allen's first race in any category at the Taupō International Motorsport Park, the 19-year-old having only first experienced the circuit in a Toyota 86 after the Melbourne SuperSprint.

Allen, who recorded his first top 10 finish as a solo driver in the Repco Supercars Championship, admitted that his stunning charge through the field exceeded expectations.

"It was pretty unreal there, I didn't really expect to do that after starting 22nd," said Allen post-race.

"It was crazy, the first couple of laps the track is very tight here, so there was a lot of concertinas, and I think I was in the right place at the right time.

"I capitalised on a lot of spots on the first lap, I had a really good stop, I can't thank the team enough, they absolutely nailed it.

"It was really good to then just truck on, get into the 10, and then just work my way forward."

With Payne claiming his third career victory, and first of 2025, Penrite Racing have now moved to fifth in the teams championship ahead of Matt Stone Racing.

Allen says that the results for both he and Payne in the opening race of the weekend are a just reward for the team after a difficult start to 2025, especially for the rookie.

"Unreal to see Matty end up winning, it's so good for the team, we've had a little bit of a rough start to the year, and it's good that we're slowly getting back onto our feet and getting some really good results.

"I can't thank the entire Penrite Racing team enough, everyone here is doing an absolutely unbelievable job, we're all backing each other.

Allen's race pace could bode well for Race 9 later this afternoon, with Allen set to start in eighth on the grid having pieced it all together on the Super Soft tyre, with Payne to start alongside in seventh.

"I'm excited to start out of eighth in the next one, we'll see how we go."

Kostecki will start from pole position for Race 9 of the Repco Supercars Championship in Taupō, which will begin at 4:05pm NZST/2:05pm AEST.