Payne powers to Jason Richards Trophy glory in Taupō

New Zealand hero Matt Payne has taken out the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy, cantering to victory in a crushing performance at the ITM Taupō Super 440.

The Penrite Racing driver took the lead from Cameron Hill on lap 8 of the 61-lap affair, and was never headed from there through two pit cycles to win Race 10 of the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship.

Payne emerged behind Hill in second position after a frantic first lap, after pole-sitter Brodie Kostecki was carted wide by Ryan Wood through the fast Turn 8. After passing Hill for the lead, Payne was peerless, joining Shane van Gisbergen and Scott McLaughlin as Kiwi winners of the Richards Trophy.

Hill and Chaz Mostert completed the podium ahead of Kostecki and Thomas Randle, with Broc Feeney stunning with fastest lap points amid a charge from 20th to seventh.

Andre Heimgartner, Feeney, Will Brown, Will Davison and James Golding rounded out the top 10. Cam Waters, who started 18th, finished 12th.

A question mark hung over the head of Brown, however, who was placed under investigation over pit lane speed. Brown later avoided penalty. Regardless, it ended a 14-round streak of consecutive podiums for the reigning champion.

"It's pretty special, it's pretty incredible, I'm pretty lost for words really," Payne said.

"That was a really long race, a really long time out in front, I managed to get the lead pretty early on which I knew I had to do, but absoultely lost for words, just so cool."

The race began with Anton De Pasquale running wide at Turn 1, with Kai Allen also sent into a spin. Wood was up to second, and immediately attacked Kostecki. The Kiwi ranged alongside through Turn 8, and escorted Kostecki onto the grass.

Kostecki regained control, but slid wide through Turn 9 as Hill, Payne, and Randle sailed through, with Payne immediately putting Hill under pressure. Race Control advised that the incident had been noted, and after an investigation, Wood was hit with a five-second time penalty.

As the race normalised, Hill led Payne, with Randle, Wood, Heimgartner, De Pasquale, Kostecki, Golding, Brown and Mostert rounding out the top 10. Feeney was 15th, just ahead of Waters.

On lap 8, Payne attacked Hill, and muscled down the inside. With Hill hung out wide, Randle got through into second, with Hill slotting in behind the #55 Mustang.

Macauley Jones was sent into a spin at Turn 7 on lap 11 after interlocking wheels with Waters, who dropped to 16th. All the while, Triple Eight dragged Brown out of the traffic, with the reigning champion fitted with four tyres and short-filled. On lap 14, Wood stopped, and served his penalty.

Hill stopped from third on lap 15, with De Pasquale also coming in. A longer fill stop sent De Pasquale to the back. Payne was brought in on lap 16, and Randle in on lap 17. Payne emerged ahead of Hill and Brown, with Randle slotting in behind the reigning champion.

Kostecki and Mostert then stopped on lap 21, and Le Brocq, Waters and Stanaway on lap 22. Up the order, Randle caught and cleared Brown through Turn 1.

Once Feeney stopped, with the #88 Red Bull Ampol Chevrolet carrying rear bumper damage, Payne was revealed as the leader ahead of Hill, Randle, Brown, Heimgartner, Kostecki, Wood, Mostert, Davison and Fullwood. Waters was 14th, with Feeney rejoining 15th and under pressure from both Erebus Motorsport drivers.

Kostecki's charge continued, first passing Heimgartner before easing past Brown into fourth. Payne, meanwhile, eked out a three-second lead over Hill by lap 37, with Kostecki closing on Randle. Mostert, meanwhile, continued to claw his way forward, passing Heimgartner for fifth. Feeney marched forward, passing Davison and Golding, who kept Waters at bay.

With an eye on an undercut, Kostecki was first of the leaders to take his second stop on lap 38. In response, Hill, Randle and Wood stopped. The undercut helped Kostecki jump Randle, with Penrite Racing wasting no time in pitting Payne, with Brown also stopping. On lap 42, Mostert stopped.

With all stops complete, Payne led Hill by three seconds, with Kostecki under pressure from Randle and Mostert. Mostert passed Randle on lap 48, while Heimgartner was a distant sixth ahead of Brown as an aggressive Wood dropped Davison behind Feeney.

Mostert then picked off Kostecki, who began to struggle and fell into the clutches of Randle. Feeney, meanwhile, attacked Heimgartner, the two Camaros making contact at Turn 5 on the final lap. Heimgartner hung on, while countryman Payne crossed the line 3.1941s to the good.

The 2025 Repco Supercars Championship will resume at the Snowy River Caravans Tasmania Super 440 on May 9-11. Tickets are on sale now.